The Alliance for Cannabis Equity, a collective of social justice advocates, medical caretakers and trade associations, is seeking the changes to be combined in state law under an omnibus bill.For medical patients, the group called for making curbside or drive-thru pickup permanent and for buying cannabis tax-free at any dispensary. For motorists, police would be prohibited from using cannabis as probable cause to make a stop.
“No substantive social equity law has been passed for two years, and action is desperately needed to address many issues,” said Douglas Kelly of Cannabis Equity Illinois Coalition.Cannabis product on a shelf at the majority Black-owned Ivy Hall dispensary on Nov. 14, 2022. Ivy Hall is the state’s first operating social equity cannabis dispensary.
In the rush to make money off the industry, medical patients and Black and brown business owners have been left out, advocates said. Though a few Black-owned dispensaries or growers have opened, the owners of cannabis companies in Illinois remain almost exclusively wealthy and white. Previous legislation tried to increase minority ownership by giving advantages in licensing to “social equity” applicants, generally defined as those who have prior low-level marijuana convictions, or live in an area with low income or high arrest rates.
But factors due to COVID-19 and complaints and litigation about the application scoring process delayed licensing for two years.By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our