Washington Bill Would Create New Social Equity Cannabis Licenses

March 20, 2023 ·

A bill proposed in Washington state would add about 100 retail adult-use cannabis dispensary licenses which would be set aside for social equity applicants, KING 5 reports. The measure is backed by the state Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) which recently reported that 92% of cannabis license holders in the state are White and just 4% of retail cannabis licenses went to Black applicants.  

The measure is sponsored by State Sen. Rebecca Saldaña (D) who told KING 5 that the state’s cannabis program “really set it up so that the people that can participate were people that had deep pockets or access to a lot of money” and that officials weren’t going to add any new licenses until they “looked at social equity.”  

Under the measure, the licenses could be used in any Washington city or county that allows adult-use cannabis sales. The new licenses could be used for retail sales or retail cultivation. 

Even without the passage of the bill, social equity applicants will get priority for about 40 licenses that remain unused or were revoked by the LCB under guidance issued by the agency last year. However, many of those license are in jurisdictions that do not allow adult-use sales within their borders, the report says. The LCB also changed the scoring rubric for cannabis license candidates, giving more weight to applicants with prior drug arrests, or those who previously owned a medical cannabis dispensary. 

On March 1, the LCB opened a 30-day window for social equity applicants to submit their applications for unused or revoked licenses.  (Full Story)

In category:Dispensaries
Tags:
Next Post

Meet the people in Chiang Mai riding high on the legalization of marijuana in Thailand

In June last year, Thailand became the first country in Southeast Asia to decriminalize the use of marijuana. It comes after decades of being classified as a Category 5 drug. Cannabis, also known as marijuana, has had a long history…
Read
Previous Post

First Black-owned ‘Detroit legacy’ cannabis dispensary opens

City of Detroit officials are celebrating the opening of the first adult-use cannabis dispensary that is part of a social equity program designed to ensure that Black residents are represented in the legal marijuana industry. Nuggets Cannabis, a Black-owned family…
Read
Random Post

Report: Hemp Production in West Virginia Nosedives

Cultivation of industrial hemp in the open in West Virginia fell nearly 50% from 2021 to 2022, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) data outlined by WBOY. In all, there were 65 acres of hemp planted in the open in…
Read
Random Post

The Only Constant Is Change

Here we are, going through another quirky cycle in the cannabis industry. During times of change and downturn, many pause to reflect where they are—and where they’ve been. I found myself doing exactly that as I took a two-week break…
Read
Random Post

Alaska 'Bud & Breakfast' Cannabis Scam Netted Couple $700k, Feds Say

The indictment notes that the couple had little possibility of obtaining necessary permits. A married couple from a small town in the far interior of Alaska has been charged with wire fraud in connection with a sham marijuana tourism business that they…
Read
Random Post

Florida Supreme Court Schedules Hearing To Decide If Marijuana Legalization Initiative Will Make The 2024 Ballot

Florida’s Supreme Court has scheduled oral arguments for next month in a case that will decide whether a marijuana legalization initiative will appear on the state’s 2024 ballot. Over the past several months, the court has been receiving briefs from…
Read