This article was written by Nicolás Jose Rodriguez and was originally published on Benzinga.
On Monday, the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) announced that it is accepting grant solicitations for the Cannabis Equity Grants Program for Local Jurisdictions for the 2022-2023 fiscal year.
The purpose of the program is to advance economic justice for populations and communities impacted by cannabis prohibition and the War on Drugs by providing support to local jurisdictions as they promote equity in California and eliminate barriers to entering the cannabis industry.
“Offering technical support, regulatory compliance assistance, and assistance with securing the capital necessary to begin a business (…) reducing barriers to licensure and employment in the regulated industry (…) will also aid the state in its goal of eliminating or reducing the illicit cannabis market by bringing more people into the legal marketplace,” GO-Biz stated.
Local jurisdictions (a city, county, or city and county) that demonstrate an intent to develop a cannabis equity program or that have adopted or operate a cannabis equity program can apply.
The Grant Solicitation, Application User Guide, and required documents can be found here.
