California Broadens Grant Access for Adult-Use Retail Cannabis Programs

CALIFORNIA – State regulators in California have expanded grant access and funding for cities and counties to establish adult-use retail cannabis programs, according to MJBizDaily.

The Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) has extended eligibility for Phase II of Local Jurisdiction Retail Access Grants to all jurisdictions without a retail program, even if they did not participate in Phase I. Phase II grant funding has also doubled.

To qualify for Phase II, jurisdictions must meet the following criteria:

1. They must not have had a cannabis retail licensing program before July 1, 2022.
2. They must have a plan in place to develop and implement a cannabis retail licensing program.
3. They must have issued one or more cannabis retail licenses in their jurisdiction.

“Because local jurisdictions can begin applying for Phase II awards for issuing retail licenses on October 1, 2023, towns and counties have an incentive to rapidly develop their programs,” said DCC spokesperson David Hafner.

Phase II will allocate $15 million in Local Jurisdiction Retail Access Grants and includes two application windows, with the first opening on October 1-31. The expansion aims to provide access to legal retail cannabis in areas where it is currently limited, as data shows that 61% of cities and counties in California prohibit retail cannabis, and 56% ban all cannabis-related businesses.

Phase II funding will be disbursed once cities or counties provide proof of issued licenses to the DCC.

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