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“At this point, there really isn’t much of any way you could call it a social equity program, because most of the social equity qualified applicants have been bought out or pushed out of the licenses that they made possible.” By Natasha Yee, Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting This story was originally published by the […]
Well-funded marijuana dispensaries sought Arizona applicants from marginalized communities early on, funding hundreds of applications for a potential stake in their businesses.
As Arizona’s social equity program nears an Oct. 8 deadline to open marijuana dispensaries, investors and others acquire more of the licenses.
When recreational marijuana was legalized in Arizona in 2020, part of the measure was aimed at helping people from communities that were disproportionately impacted by harsh marijuana laws, that is to say, often communities of color.
Two years since 26 social equity applicants were awarded to benefit communities affected by previous marijuana laws, existing dispensaries have have equity in more than half of them.