California marijuana regulators are doubling the amount of money they’re offering to localities to open up cannabis retailers in their jurisdictions as part of a grant program that aims to mitigate the illicit market.
The Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) also announced on Thursday that they’re expanding eligibility for the Local Jurisdiction Retail Access Grant (LJRAG) program, allowing cities that participated in the first phase to apply for funding again this round.
DCC unveiled the first-of-its-kind program in February, and it awarded $4.1 million in grants to 18 jurisdiction in June. For the second phase, regulators said that they are offering up to $150,000 per eligible retail licensee that a city authorizes and up to $300,000 per social equity license. Previously, the awards were limited to $75,000 and $150,000, respectively.
“There are still many locations throughout the state where cannabis usage is notable, but existing consumers do not have convenient access to legal retail cannabis,” DCC Director Nicole Elliott said in a press release. “We know that cannabis consumers often make purchasing choices based on convenience, so sufficient access to legal retail reinforces extremely important consumer safeguards.”
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