requirements in regards to residency and background that one would have to meet in order to qualify as a social equity or diversity applicant. Years of residency in Nevada, being from a disenfranchised community and how the lives of an applicant and their family members have been affected by Nevada’s previously damaging drug laws will be variables that are considered. From there, the suggestions will be sent to the Cannabis Compliance Board who will eventually release those very regulations that will hopefully boost social equity and diversity in an industry in need of those themes. However, because I’ve been covering government and regulators for almost half a decade now, I know never to write a definitive release date for a project from those bodies of government and regulation. As such, the anticipated release date of when those regulations from the CCB regarding social equity and diversity will be around the springtime and hopefully be accepting applications from there, keyword there being anticipated. Even the CCB’s website refers to every timeline date of the consumption lounge program as “tentative.” Although the committee has now been disbanded, Ulman believes that the eventual social equity measures created by the CCB will bring that much-needed multicultural representation to the cannabis industry. “I think it’s important there’s a pathway from the traditional market to the legal market. Even if not everyone is meant to be a business owner, everyone is meant to be paid living wages, have health benefits
photo: kat demp
Nevada's Original Cannabis Resource // Since 2014
and create sustainable, long-term jobs. I also think it’s important that we look at everybody who was left out of that first licensing process and how we can have a more diverse ownership and executive base that looks a lot more like the consumers and keep the integrity of the plant at the center of business decisions.” Ulman did bring up an important point that potential applicants would need to know, as there’s two different applicant types. A social equity applicant is someone who was directly affected by Nevada’s previously unjust cannabis policies, whereas a diversity applicant is an applicant that falls into a racial minority, female, is disabled or is a veteran. If one wishes to become an applicant, they’ll have to determine which category they fall under. However due to both our state and our country’s horrific policies on cannabis, an applicant may commonly fall into both categories. “If you had an unjust sentence for any nonviolent drug charge and served time in prison for far longer then you should have, hopefully in the future you’ll also be able to apply as a social equity applicant as well.” Ulman hopes. “Because I feel if you were screwed by the system and it took your life away or your family member’s life away, you should be able to have a more accessible pathway into the industry and/or to ownership if you are qualified.” While these inclusions of emphasized social equity and diversity in Assembly Bill
341 are a great first step in an attempt to correct the many wrongs of our country’s drug laws, Ulman agrees that those inclusions are just that; a first step in a pathway that extends far beyond just more accessible cannabis licensing. “I think this is the first step for Nevada to create a more diverse business ownership and executive level space. I believe much of the country will go that way as they continue to build out and refine their processes for ownership. We absolutely need to have more states, cities, banking institutions, and large companies support social equity and diversity applicants by giving low interest loans and grants to support canna-businesses that don't have the traditional capital to back them.” Ulman used New York as an example of an ideal social equity program, in which The Empire State authorized a $200 million fund to promote social equity in their state industry and a pledged goal of 50 percent of issued licenses going to social equity applicants in a cannabis industry estimated to reach billions after legalizing cannabis last year as the scandal-ridden Governor Andrew Cuomo was on his way out of office. “I see Nevada going in the right direction and it started with the passing of AB 341 and it’s going to continue with grassroots organizations like the Chamber having discussions with the Cannabis Compliance Board, building relationships with political leaders and judicial leaders and informing the cannabis community how much power they can have with their voice and their vote.”
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