Excessive permit fees and bureaucracy are pushing cannabis entrepreneurs who were directly impacted by the War on Drugs out of the legal market in the city of Los Angeles, and in some cases, back into the illicit market.
“We were told that the social equity program would help those harmed by the War on Drugs. Instead, we’ve been trapped in a bureaucratic maze of broken systems, delayed grants, and rising fees,” Brandon Brinson, founder of The Green Paradise dispensary, told the city council’s Government Operations Committee during public comment on Wednesday morning.
“I’m so sick of this shit. And then y’all gonna get up here and act like y’all done did something. Y’all ain't done shit for us. Nothing!” Brison yelled.
Launched shortly after recreational cannabis was legalized, the city’s Social Equity Program was designed to be a “restorative justice tool” to help people directly impacted by the War On Drugs with various financial, legal, and business resources.
But some social equity licensees say that the program has largely been a failure.