California Officials Award $52 Million In Funding For Community Reinvestment Supported By Marijuana Tax Dollars
From toxifillers.com with love
California officials have awarded another round of community reinvestment grants to nonprofits and local health departments, funded by marijuana tax revenue.
The Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) announced the recipients of over $52 million.on Friday—a $11 million increase compared to 2024. This is the seventh round of cannabis-funded California Community Reinvestment Grants (CalCRG) under the state program.
Organizations received awards ranging from $600,000 and $3 million each to support job placement, legal assistance, treatment of mental health and substance use disorders, referrals to medical care and other services for communities that have been disproportionately affected by the drug war.
“The California Community Reinvestment Grants program continues to serve as a valuable resource for communities that have faced long-standing barriers to opportunity,” Dee Dee Myers, senior advisor to Newsom and director of GO-Biz, said in a press release. “This latest round of awards will support the economic health and well-being of neighborhoods across the state that need and deserve this critical level of reinvestment.”
Grants can reimburse 100 percent of personnel costs associated with providing services. Training, equipment and all other direct costs are reimbursed at a rate of 50 percent. Indirect costs, meanwhile, may not exceed 17 percent of the total award.
Here are some examples of this year’s grant recipients:
- Bay Area Legal Aid: $906,712
- Safe Place for Youth: $600,000
- Legal Aid Society of San Bernardino: $2,012,684
- JobTrain: $3,000,000
- Santa Barbara County Public Health Department: $2,900,000
“Past federal and state drug policies led to the mass incarceration of people of color, decreased access to social services, loss of educational attainment due to diminished federal financial aid eligibility, prohibitions on the use of public housing and other public assistance, and the separation of families,” the department said. “The CalCRG program aims to advance health, wellness and economic justice for these populations and communities.”
In 2023, GO-Biz awarded more than $50 million in reinvestment grants, with funding going to organizations such as Goodwill of the San Francisco Bay, Uncommon Law, the Los Angeles Conservation Corps and health departments in Los Angeles and Monterey counties.
Funding levels for the program have generally been increasing year over year. In 2021, for example, the state awarded about $29 million in grants to 58 nonprofit organizations through the CalCRG program. The initiative was first announced in April 2020.
Legalization in California has created a number of new grant programs aimed at addressing the consequences of marijuana prohibition and attempting to nurture a strong, well-regulated legal industry.
—
Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments.
Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access.
—
Meanwhile, California’s Supreme Court delivered a victory for the state’s marijuana program, rescinding a lower court ruling in a case that suggested federal prohibition could be used locally to undermine the cannabis market.
The state Supreme Court ruling also came just weeks after California officials unveiled a report on the current status and future of the state’s marijuana market—with independent analysts hired by regulators concluding that the federal prohibition on cannabis that prevents interstate commerce is meaningfully bolstering the illicit market.
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) did sign a bill in 2022 that would have empowered him to enter into interstate cannabis commerce agreements with other legal states, but that power was incumbent upon federal guidance or an assessment from the state attorney general that sanctioned such activity.
Separately, state lawmakers are considering a bipartisan bill to create a psilocybin pilot program for military veterans and first responders.
Members Of Congress Want Federal Investigation Into Use Of Florida Medicaid Funds To Oppose Marijuana Legalization By Group Tied To DeSantis
Photo courtesy of Philip Steffan.
The post California Officials Award $52 Million In Funding For Community Reinvestment Supported By Marijuana Tax Dollars appeared first on Marijuana Moment.