California’s Department of Cannabis Control has awarded $4.145 million to 18 local jurisdictions to help expand legal retail cannabis access, the agency announced June 20.
The grants were awarded as part of DCC’s Local Jurisdictional Retail Access Grant program, which aids local jurisdictions in introducing legal cannabis retail programs in their city or county. Of the program’s 18 phase one grants awarded to local jurisdictions, 14 grants totaling $870,000 were awarded to jurisdictions that are proposing equity programs to assist and support licenses to cannabis equity retail businesses.
The total phase one grants were awarded, in descending order, to the following jurisdictions:
Los Angeles County, $475,000; City of Riverside, $475,000; City of Huntington Beach, $325,000; City of Buena Park, $325,000; City of Hawthorne, $315,000; City of Lodi, $275,000; Nevada County, $275,000; City of West Sacramento, $235,000; City of Claremont, $195,000; City of Montclair, $195,000; City of Covina, $175,000; City of Corcoran, $155,000; City of Bell Gardens, $150,000; City of Calabasas, $125,000; City of Sand City, $115,000; City of Avenal, $115,000; City of Winters, $115,000; and city of Yreka, $115,000.
DCC’s Local Jurisdictional Retail Access Grant program prioritized areas where there was high cannabis consumption but little-to-no access to legal cannabis retail, according to DCC. The grants were also prioritized for programs that support equity operators, according to DCC.
Cities and counties that were DCC grant recipients are allowed to use their funds to develop cannabis retailer licensing programs, including processing and issues cannabis retail licenses, holding community outreach events, conducting economic studies and environmental reviews, drafting and adopting ordinances, hiring staff and contractors, forming technical advisory committees or stakeholder workgroups, and more.
“The 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,” DCC Acting Director Rasha Salama said in a news release. “In addition to improving access to existing customers, these grants are another important step towards establishing legal pathways for legacy and social equity operators.”
