{"id":66125,"date":"2023-06-20T13:43:44","date_gmt":"2023-06-20T21:43:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2023\/06\/20\/california-regulators-award-4-million-to-localities-working-to-license-marijuana-businesses-and-curb-illicit-market\/"},"modified":"2023-06-21T19:47:30","modified_gmt":"2023-06-22T03:47:30","slug":"california-regulators-award-4-million-to-localities-working-to-license-marijuana-businesses-and-curb-illicit-market","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2023\/06\/20\/california-regulators-award-4-million-to-localities-working-to-license-marijuana-businesses-and-curb-illicit-market\/","title":{"rendered":"California Regulators Award $4 Million To Localities Working To License Marijuana Businesses And Curb Illicit Market"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

California marijuana regulators announced on Tuesday that they have awarded $4.1 million to cities and counties across the state to support local cannabis business licensing programs working to address unmet consumer demand and help curb the illicit market.<\/p>\n

The Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) unveiled the first-of-its-kind program<\/a> in February, committing to provide about $20 million total to localities through its Local Jurisdiction Retail Access Grant. The $4.1 million in grants that it has now awarded to 18 jurisdiction represents the first phase of the program.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Local Jurisdictional Retail Access Grant program will help provide access to regulated cannabis retail for over 2 million Californians that currently live in an area where access to licensed cannabis retail businesses is insufficient,\u201d DCC Acting Director Rasha Salama said in a press release. \u201cIn addition to improving access to existing customers, these grants are another important step towards establishing legal pathways for legacy and social equity operators.\u201d<\/p>\n

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California Department of Cannabis Control awards $4 million to 18 cities and counties with high levels of consumption and have little or no access to legal cannabis retail.<\/p>\n

To view the award recipients and learn more about the Retail Access Grant visit: https:\/\/t.co\/w6dKAod8pr<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/G0fLABKpsk<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 CA Department of Cannabis Control (@CAcannabisdept) June 20, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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The department also noted that $870,000 of the $4.1 million in phase one grants will go to 14 localities \u201cthat are proposing to assist and issue licenses to equity applicants within their retail licensing programs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Local governments are eligible for the grant dollars if they currently have no retail licensing program but plan to develop and implement one. Jurisdictions that intend to support equity-centric licensing policies are being prioritized.<\/p>\n

Localities that have opted out of allowing marijuana retailers, with no plans to license them in the future, are ineligible for the grants. Jurisdictions that have licensing programs, and those where retailers have already been approved, also don\u2019t qualify.<\/p>\n

For the phase one grants, here\u2019s where those dollars are being distributed<\/a>:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Jurisdiction<\/strong><\/th>\nBase Award Amount<\/strong><\/th>\nEquity Bonus Funds<\/strong><\/th>\nTotal Phase I Award<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
City of Riverside<\/td>\n$325,000<\/td>\n$150,000<\/td>\n$475,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Los Angeles County<\/td>\n$325,000<\/td>\n$150,000<\/td>\n$475,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
City of Huntington Beach<\/td>\n$325,000<\/td>\nN\/A<\/td>\n$325,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
City of Buena Park<\/td>\n$225,000<\/td>\n$90,000<\/td>\n$315,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
City of Hawthorne<\/td>\n$225,000<\/td>\n$90,000<\/td>\n$315,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
City of Lodi<\/td>\n$200,000<\/td>\n$75,000<\/td>\n$275,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nevada County<\/td>\n$200,000<\/td>\n$75,000<\/td>\n$275,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
City of West Sacramento<\/td>\n$175,000<\/td>\n$60,000<\/td>\n$235,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
City of Claremont<\/td>\n$150,000<\/td>\n$45,000<\/td>\n$195,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
City of Montclair<\/td>\n$150,000<\/td>\n$45,000<\/td>\n$195,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
City of Covina<\/td>\n$175,000<\/td>\nN\/A<\/td>\n$175,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
City of Corcoran<\/td>\n$125,000<\/td>\n$30,000<\/td>\n$155,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
City of Bell Gardens<\/td>\n$150,000<\/td>\nN\/A<\/td>\n$150,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
City of Calabasas<\/td>\n$125,000<\/td>\nN\/A<\/td>\n$125,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
City of Avenal<\/td>\n$100,000<\/td>\n$15,000<\/td>\n$115,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
City of Sand City<\/td>\n$100,000<\/td>\n$15,000<\/td>\n$115,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
City of Winters<\/td>\n$100,000<\/td>\n$15,000<\/td>\n$115,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
City of Yreka<\/td>\n$100,000<\/td>\n$15,000<\/td>\n$115,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n
Totals<\/strong><\/td>\n$3,275,000<\/strong><\/td>\n$870,000<\/strong><\/td>\n$4,145,000<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tfoot>\n<\/table>\n

\u201cGrant recipients can use their grant money to develop retailer licensing programs to assist them in issuing retail cannabis licenses,\u201d DCC said<\/a>. \u201cThis includes drafting and adopting ordinances, hiring staff and contractors, holding community outreach and engagement events, forming stakeholder workgroups or technical advisory committees, conducting economic studies and environmental reviews, developing application forms or online application portals, and processing and issuing cannabis retail licenses.\u201d<\/p>\n

The department said that when the phase two grants through the program are processed, additional funding could be awarded to the eligible localities \u201cbased on the number of local retail licenses they have issued.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014
\nMarijuana Moment is tracking more than 1,000 cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills<\/a> in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters<\/a> pledging at least $25\/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don\u2019t miss any developments.<\/strong>
\n\"\"<\/a>
\nLearn more about our marijuana bill tracker<\/a> and become a supporter on Patreon<\/a> to get access.
\n\u2014<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the California Governor\u2019s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) announced last month that the state has awarded more than $50 million in marijuana tax-funded community reinvestment grants<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The funds have been distributed to 31 different local health departments and community-based nonprofit organizations that support economic and social development in areas disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs.<\/p>\n

It is the fifth year in a row that the office has provided the grant funding. And the cannabis tax dollars that are supporting the program increased by about $15 million compared to last year<\/a>.<\/p>\n

DCC also\u00a0recently awarded nearly $20 million in research grants<\/a>, funded by marijuana tax revenue, to 16 academic institutions to carry out studies into cannabis\u2014including novel cannabinoids like delta-8 THC and the genetics of \u201clegacy\u201d strains from the state.<\/p>\n

And California officials announced in February they awarded $15 million in grants to support local efforts<\/a>\u00a0to promote equity in the marijuana industry. GO-Biz distributed the funds to 16 cities and counties across the state through the Cannabis Equity Grants Program for Local Jurisdictions. Applications opened for the program late last year.<\/p>\n

California is additionally making moves to expand its marijuana market beyond the state\u2019s borders<\/a>, with regulators recently seeking a formal opinion from the state attorney general\u2019s office on whether allowing interstate marijuana commerce would put the state at \u201csignificant risk\u201d of federal enforcement action.<\/p>\n

The request for guidance from DCC is a key step that could eventually\u00a0trigger a law that the governor signed<\/a>\u00a0last year, empowering him to enter into agreements with other legal states to import and export marijuana products.<\/p>\n

Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) also said last year that\u00a0he wants to see marijuana federally legalized<\/a>, in part so that his state\u2019s cannabis farmers can \u201clegally supply the rest of the nation.\u201d<\/p>\n

A state task force has also officially\u00a0recommended that the legislature pass reparations legislation<\/a>\u00a0to compensate about two million Black Americans with a total of nearly $228 billion for racially disproportionate harms that resulted from the war on drugs in the state over the course of a half-century.<\/p>\n

In California, the Assembly recently passed a bill<\/a>\u00a0to legalize marijuana cafes, allowing dispensaries to offer non-cannabis food and drinks at their location if they receive local approval.<\/p>\n

Also, the Senate has also approved a bill<\/a>\u00a0that would prohibit employers from asking job applicants about prior marijuana use. It would build on\u00a0existing employment protections enacted last session<\/a>\u00a0that bar employers from penalizing most workers for using cannabis in compliance with state law off the job.<\/p>\n

Separately, the sponsor of a\u00a0Senate-passed bill to\u00a0legalize the possession of certain psychedelics<\/a> and facilitated use of the substances in California says that advocates are up against a \u201cchallenging road\u201d toward passage in the Assembly, where an initial committee hearing is scheduled for next week.<\/p>\n

\n

Wisconsin Governor Signs Bill With GOP Provision Blocking Local Marijuana Legalization Advisory Questions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Photo courtesy of California State Fair.<\/em><\/p>\n

The post California Regulators Award $4 Million To Localities Working To License Marijuana Businesses And Curb Illicit Market<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n


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California marijuana regulators announced on Tuesday that they have awarded $4.1 million to cities and counties across the state to support local cannabis business licensing programs working to address unmet consumer demand and help curb the illicit market. The Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) unveiled the first-of-its-kind program in February,Continue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":66126,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66125"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/458"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=66125"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66125\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":66127,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66125\/revisions\/66127"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/66126"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66125"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=66125"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=66125"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}