Sacramento “Cannabis Equity Program” Aims to Tout Women, People of Color in Pot Industry
Women and people of color are severely underrepresented in California’s burgeoning pot industry.
Such was the unsurprising assessment of Sacramento’s city council, who, ahead of the states plan to legalize marijuana, is moving to create a program that will attempt to mitigate the disparities in the states pot industry.
This move coincides with similar “equity programs” being offered in such cities as Oakland and Berkeley. The Hood Incubator is one such organization which looks to advance women and folks of color in Oaklands rapidly expanding pot industry. Similarly, Sacramento is creating the Cannabis Opportunity, Reinvestment Equity program (or CORE). CORE aims to provide mentors who have experience in the marijuana industry to women and people of color that are looking to get into that business.
“The intent of the program is to really promote and establish some equity within the cannabis industry,” Joe Devlin, Sacramento’s cannabis policy chief, told FOX40. “We just wanna make sure opportunities for ownership are across multiple sectors.”
CORE will also waive certain start-up fees for women and people of color entering the business, and fast-track permits and approval processes.
