San Diego Receives Cannabis Equity Grant To Boost Local Weed Industry

Finally, San Diego received a grant from the state as part of a program designed to help the city boost its local cannabis industry.

Southern California cities last month received $880,000 from the California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) as part of a statewide grant program aimed at promoting fairness in the regulated marijuana market. announced that it was receiving dollars.

Under this initiative, California has provided millions of dollars to cities across the state with its own cannabis stock subsidy program.

Major cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Oakland all participated in the grant program. Last spring, San Francisco officials announced they had received $4.5 million from the state of California to fund a cannabis equity grant program.

But last month’s $880,000 donation was the first grant given to San Diego.

That’s because San Diego hadn’t established its own grant program until last year. San Diego Union Tribune I got itwas “years after other big cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento, and Long Beach.”

“Receiving this significant source of funding is essential to revitalizing our cannabis equities program.” provide a solid foundation.”

In announcing the grant last month, the city said, “This money will help residents looking to enter the legal cannabis industry in San Diego through grants to cover permits and license fees, as well as related initial capital costs. and at the same time provide access to cannabis for the cannabis industry workforce.”

These funds will be “distributed locally and will support state efforts to advance economic justice for people and communities affected by cannabis prohibition,” the city said in a statement, noting that the grants are “potentially helps successful business owners pay permit and license fees, entrepreneurs in a variety of fields to access education and training and support local cannabis businesses, including “financial, marketing, advertising, legal services, etc.” Get real estate rental assistance for the spirit.

In determining eligibility for the grant program, the City of San Diego noted that “the biggest hurdles to entering the industry are lack of capital, lack of training, problems finding the right location, and complex government regulations.” I noticed.” according to union tribune.

Kim Desmond, San Diego’s chief of race and equity, said in an announcement last month. “Recognizing historical institutional racism and systemic inequality is key to understanding the disparities in the cannabis industry.”

The funding awarded to San Diego was “the seventh largest grant after Oakland and Los Angeles with approximately $2 million each, Sacramento, San Francisco and Long Beach with $1.5 million each, and Humboldt County with $1.2 million.”of union tribune.

city ​​of san diego Said “It was one of 16 cities and counties statewide to receive grants totaling $15 million, funded from tax revenues generated from recreational cannabis sales statewide.”

In last year’s Cannabis Fairness Assessment, the City of San Diego found that Black and Latino residents have accounted for nearly 50% of all marijuana arrests since 2015.

The assessment also found that nearly 70% of cannabis business license holders are white.