L.A. revamps rules for cannabis licensing, hoping to redress harm from war on drugs
LA TimesLos Angeles is revamping its rules for handing out licenses to cannabis businesses, amid anger and disappointment over the tumultuous rollout of a program meant to address the damage done by criminalizing marijuana. The rules passed unanimously Wednesday by the Los Angeles City Council tighten the criteria for new applicants seeking to qualify for the “social equity” program, which is supposed to ensure that people from communities hit hardest by the war on drugs benefit from marijuana legalization. Until now, the social equity program has broadly targeted people who have cannabis convictions or have lived in areas with disproportionate arrests for marijuana crimes, but critics said the rules were too loose. But other paths to running a cannabis business — including licenses for other kinds of marijuana businesses besides shops — remain open to applicants who don’t meet the new requirements, Packer said. It argued that a better process would include public hearings to “prevent decisions being made in back rooms.” Ahead of Wednesday’s vote, some cannabis applicants pleaded with the council to allow many more shops, arguing that the limited number of licenses has strangled an economic opportunity.
History of this topic
The drug war devastated Black and other minority communities. Is marijuana legalization helping?
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California promised ‘social equity’ after pot legalization. Those hit hardest feel betrayed
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Group forms to help give equal access to new cannabis market
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Marijuana social equity: Seeds planted but will they grow?
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L.A.’s promise of social equity for marijuana businesses has been painfully slow for entrepreneurs
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Cannabis entrepreneurs agree to drop lawsuit over ‘flawed’ licensing process
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Los Angeles to reset troubled marijuana licensing program
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