{"id":1095,"date":"2021-09-14T15:49:20","date_gmt":"2021-09-14T15:49:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/wp-home\/?p=177056"},"modified":"2021-09-14T15:49:20","modified_gmt":"2021-09-14T15:49:20","slug":"how-cannabiz-owners-can-shape-social-equity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/?p=1095","title":{"rendered":"How cannabiz owners can shape social equity"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>  <title>How cannabiz owners can shape social equity | Leafly<\/title>     <!-- This is Index Exchange, a script\/\/3rd-party integration that interjects GAM. It needs to be 'ahead' of GTM in the DOM, which comes from Cephalopod. GTM loads GAM. This script needs to setup it's interjection stuff before GAM loads. --> <!-- End Index Exchange --> <!-- Quotes = strings--><!-- No quotes = boolean-->\t   <!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v15.9.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->                   <!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. --> <\/p>\n<p> <!-- BEGIN Sailthru Horizon Meta Information --><\/p>\n<p><!-- END Sailthru Horizon Meta Information -->  <!-- Google Publisher Tag --> <!-- End Google Publisher Tag --> <!-- Google Tag Manager --> <!-- End Google Tag Manager --> <!-- Chartbeat --> <!-- End Chartbeat --><br \/>\n <!-- Google Tag Manager (noscript) -->   <!-- End Google Tag Manager (noscript) -->   <title>Leafly<\/title>     <title>Leafly \u00ae<\/title>                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              <title>Loading\u2026<\/title>     <\/p>\n<div class=\"bg-white fixed flex hidden inset-0 items-start md:h-auto md:items-center overflow-auto\" id=\"age-gate-container\">\n<div class=\"bg-white md:h-auto mx-auto p-lg text-sm w-full\" id=\"age-gate\">\n<p><label for=\"select-country\">Where are you from?<\/label><\/p>\n<div class=\"age-gate__info\">\n<p><button class=\"button\" data-testid=\"age-gate-no-button\" id=\"tou-cancel\">no<\/button><button class=\"button ml-md\" data-testid=\"age-gate-yes-button\" id=\"tou-continue\">yes<\/button><\/p>\n<p><label class=\"checkbox__label my-xl\"><span class=\"text-xs\" id=\"remember-user-label\">Remember me for 30 days. <br \/>I confirm that this is not a shared device.<\/span><\/label><\/p>\n<p class=\"error error--underage hidden\">Darn! You&#8217;re not old enough to use Leafly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"hidden age-gate__loading\">Redirecting you to<span class=\"redirect-domain\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"text-xs mt-auto\">By accessing this site, you accept<br \/>\nthe <a class=\"py-xl\" data-testid=\"tou-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/info\/terms-of-use\">Terms of Use<\/a><br \/>\nand <a class=\"py-xl\" data-testid=\"pp-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/info\/privacy-policy\">Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"container my-xl\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col md:col-9\" id=\"article-content\">\n<p><em>Future cannabis business owners should also prepare for the role they can play in creating an equitable cannabis industry. <\/em><\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-default\">\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Some aspiring cannabiz owners are flush with resources, but there are also many people who deserve a chance in this industry that haven\u2019t been given a fair shot. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/learn\/legalization\/illinois\">The state of Illinois<\/a> serves as a real example for well-intentioned plans designed to deliver equity. But when it came down to it, many cannabis business owners and cannabis advocates felt underserved. <\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s when cannabiz owners organized and took matters into their own hands.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-the-first-steps-towards-illinois-equity\">The first steps towards Illinois equity<\/h2>\n<p>On June 25th, 2019, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act, or <a href=\"https:\/\/www2.illinois.gov\/dceo\/CannabisEquity\/Pages\/default.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Illinois House Bill 1438<\/a>. Pritzker coined this moment as \u201ca new era of social equity, reversing harms caused primarily to people of color by the war on drugs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>HB 1438 made Illinois the first state in the nation to include social equity provisions in cannabis legislation. These provisions gave the Illinois cannabis industry a boost of equity that many states that had previously gone legal didn\u2019t take into account including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>promises to expunge an estimated <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chicagotribune.com\/marijuana\/illinois\/ct-biz-illinois-legal-weed-early-days-20200102-trakidlua5hlrcqi753zrk6y4e-story.html\">700,000 Illinoisans<\/a> convicted of marijuana-related offenses<\/li>\n<li>using tax revenue to support historically disenfranchised communities<\/li>\n<li>bolstering diversity amongst the industry by awarding points to the application score for those who met certain social equity qualifications.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/politics\/neighbor-states-give-illinois-10-million-in-cannabis-taxes-every-month\" class=\"wp-block-leafly-blocks-leafly-single-inline-block leafly-inline-related-story\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"border border-deep-green-alt border-l-0 border-r-0 my-xl p-md font-bold\">\n<p>Related<\/p>\n<p>Neighbor states give Illinois $10 million in cannabis taxes every month<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a> <\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-cannabiz-owners-spot-faulty-measures\">Cannabiz owners spot faulty measures<\/h2>\n<p>While this bill was heralded for being progressive, lucrative, and restorative, social equity license applicants quickly learned that the bill was not as equitable as promised. It included loopholes that allowed established, deep-pocketed companies to beat out aspiring canna-biz entrepreneurs for licenses.<\/p>\n<p>One of these loopholes allowed companies to earn social equity qualification just by <em>hiring<\/em> a workforce made up of people that could qualify for social equity <em>themselves<\/em> \u2013 which many applicants coined as the \u201cslave master clause\u201d. By employing these people, the businesses could score higher on social equity applications.<\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/industry\/how-to-get-funding-for-a-cannabis-business\" class=\"wp-block-leafly-blocks-leafly-single-inline-block leafly-inline-related-story\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"border border-deep-green-alt border-l-0 border-r-0 my-xl p-md font-bold\">\n<p>Related<\/p>\n<p>How to get funding for a cannabis business<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a> <\/p>\n<p>As a result, o<a href=\"https:\/\/chicago.suntimes.com\/cannabis\/2021\/2\/3\/22265180\/cannabis-marijuana-social-equity-licenses-dispensaries-la-shawn-ford-pritzker-lottery\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ut of over 900 dispensary applicants<\/a>, only 21 were chosen to enter the lottery for 75 licenses, and the few chosen were not reflective of the diversity that the social equity program was created to foster.<\/p>\n<p>Cannabiz owners banded together and demanded that Illinois lawmakers get it right. The pressure they applied was enough to get their government to listen to more community voices and work harder to integrate equity into the state\u2019s program.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-more-voices-less-inequity\">More voices, less inequity <\/h2>\n<p>Aspiring cannabis entrepreneurs spent months fighting for Illinois to right these wrongs. They lobbied their legislators, organized rallies, held press conferences, and demanded justice. As a result, IL State Representative Lashawn Ford brought forth <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilga.gov\/legislation\/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=1443&amp;GAID=16&amp;DocTypeID=HB&amp;SessionID=110&amp;GA=102\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">House Bill 1443<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>This bill called for rescoring of social equity applications, lower thresholds to qualify for to be entered into license lotteries, and created 110 new recreational marijuana licenses that cannabis businesses could receive. <\/p>\n<p><!--HubSpot Call-to-Action Code --><span class=\"hs-cta-wrapper\" id=\"hs-cta-wrapper-e4f2cd2a-d340-4b1b-b777-ef4ea07ca6e7\"><span class=\"hs-cta-node hs-cta-e4f2cd2a-d340-4b1b-b777-ef4ea07ca6e7\" id=\"hs-cta-e4f2cd2a-d340-4b1b-b777-ef4ea07ca6e7\"><!--[if lte IE 8]&gt; \n\n<div id=\"hs-cta-ie-element\"><\/div>\n\n &lt;![endif]--><a href=\"https:\/\/cta-redirect.hubspot.com\/cta\/redirect\/1466600\/e4f2cd2a-d340-4b1b-b777-ef4ea07ca6e7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img class=\"hs-cta-img has-ll lazyload\" id=\"hs-cta-img-e4f2cd2a-d340-4b1b-b777-ef4ea07ca6e7\" alt=\"learn more about Insights\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/how-cannabiz-owners-can-shape-social-equity.jpg,compress&amp;w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/how-cannabiz-owners-can-shape-social-equity.jpg,compress&amp;w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/how-cannabiz-owners-can-shape-social-equity.jpg,compress&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/how-cannabiz-owners-can-shape-social-equity.jpg,compress&amp;w=1480 1480w\"><\/a><\/span><\/span><!-- end HubSpot Call-to-Action Code --><\/p>\n<p>HB 1443 also removed the slave master clause, replacing it with the classification of \u201cSocial Equity Justice-Involved\u201d which is based on majority-ownership, rather than majority-workforce, being people from disproportionately impacted areas.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/chicago.suntimes.com\/2021\/5\/28\/22459115\/marijuana-pot-cannabis-industry-equity-licenses-dispensaries-illinois-law-licenses\">In May of 2021<\/a> the updated equity bill was passed, giving social equity applicants a fairer shot. In a <a href=\"https:\/\/chicago.suntimes.com\/cannabis\/2021\/2\/3\/22265180\/cannabis-marijuana-social-equity-licenses-dispensaries-la-shawn-ford-pritzker-lottery\">statement<\/a> on how Representative Ford created this legislation, he expressed that it was composed directly from \u201cthe language that\u2019s coming from the social equity applicants.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>By having the voices of the cannabis entrepreneurs front and center, the legislation also solved the biggest pain point faced by social equity cannabis entrepreneurs\u2014lack of access to capital.<\/p>\n<p>The model established in Illinois has the power to become the new standard across the country, from the ideas proposed to the activism demonstrated. The Illinois cannabis market is off to a unique start with its focus on equity, access, and the voices of the community who deserve their place in the cannabis industry.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<h2> Tips for cannabiz owners seeking equity<\/h2>\n<ul class=\"has-small-font-size\">\n<li>Organize with other owners to find strength in numbers<\/li>\n<li>Hold legislators accountable for real-world equity solutions<\/li>\n<li>Advocate for underrepresented owners in cannabis legislation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<h2 id=\"h-ready-to-start-your-cannabiz-in-illinois\">Ready to start your cannabiz in Illinois?<\/h2>\n<p>With the creation of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www2.illinois.gov\/dceo\/CannabisEquity\/Pages\/LoanInfo.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Cannabis Social Equity Loan program<\/a>, Illinois social equity cannabis business owners can access financial assistance in the form of low-interest loans and technical support.<\/p>\n<p>The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) set aside over $30 million to ensure equity and opportunity for entrepreneurs looking to enter the cannabis industry in the Land of Lincoln. The loans are exclusively for social equity licensees, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodtree.capital\/invest#dceo-invest\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">serviced and originated by Good Tree Capital<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"leafly-sailthru-signup p-lg my-xl bg-white rounded elevation-low border border-light-grey\">\n<p class=\"text-xs pt-lg\">By submitting this form, you will be subscribed to news and promotional emails from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\">Leafly<\/a> and you agree to Leafly&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/company\/tos\">Terms of Service<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/company\/privacy-policy\">Privacy Policy<\/a>. You can unsubscribe from Leafly email messages anytime.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> <!-- Chartbeat --> <!-- End Chartbeat -->  <!--\nPerformance optimized by W3 Total Cache. Learn more: https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/w3-total-cache\/ Served from: _ @ 2021-09-14 08:49:29 by W3 Total Cache\n--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How cannabiz owners can shape social equity | Leafly Leafly Leafly \u00ae Loading\u2026 Where are you from? noyes Remember me for 30 days. I confirm that this is not a shared device. Darn! You&#8217;re not old enough to use Leafly. Redirecting you to By accessing this site, you accept the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Future cannabis business owners should also prepare for the role they can play in creating an equitable cannabis industry. Some aspiring cannabiz owners are flush with resources, but there are also many people who deserve a chance in this industry that haven\u2019t been given&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1095","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-marijuana_information"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1095","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1095"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1095\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1095"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1095"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1095"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}