Cannabis Social Equity Coalition - NYS

Dear Governor Hochul and the Cannabis Control Board:

We would like to introduce ourselves. We are the individuals and communities “Most Harmed” by the marijuana drug laws in New York State and by the broader War on Drugs policies dating back to the 1970’s. We are the men and women, black and brown, who were arrested, convicted and placed in prison for a drug policy elected officials and other New Yorkers now acknowledge was unjust, discriminatory, and life altering. We are the men and women, black and brown, who upon release from prison are subject to collateral consequences. These legal and regulatory restrictions limit or prohibit our access to public housing, occupational licensing, employment, student loans, voting rights, other invisible punishments. We are the children, black and brown, of the incarcerated and formerly incarcerated. We grew up without a parent, aunt, or uncle to nurture and protect us. We are the children, black and brown, raised in foster care because both our parents were the victims of New York’s misguided drug policy. We are the women of “single female headed households.” We raised our children without their fathers, relying on public assistance and food stamps to make ends meet, while whispering in our sons and daughters’ ears, “be careful when you come in contact with the police… remember to keep your hands in sight at all times!” We are the young men and women, black and brown, from the hip hop community. We were “stopped and frisked” for decades because of discriminatory law enforcement policies given legitimacy by the war on drugs. We are the “driving while black” (and brown) population targeted by highway patrols, state troopers, and by undercover drug enforcement units that proliferate our black and brown communities.

We are also community organizations from communities disproportionately impacted by marijuana drug laws. We are the organizations that have for decades functioned as a safety net for the victims of failed drug policies. We are the churches, drug treatment programs, mental health programs and day care programs that operate in black and brown neighborhoods disproportionately impacted by marijuana drug laws and the war on drugs. We are the reentry programs, skills building programs, job training programs and vocational training programs that have for decades resided in neighborhoods and zip codes with the highest incarceration rates, what is commonly referred to as “million-dollar blocks.” We are the small business owners that are being forced out of black and brown communities through gentrification, depriving real employment opportunities to low skilled and entry level residents.

Finally, we are New Yorkers located throughout the Empire State. We are longtime residents of New York City, Westchester County and Newburg New York. We live and work in black and brown communities in Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Albany, Ithaca, and Utica.

As the population “Most Harmed” by the misguided marijuana drug laws and the decades long war on drugs, we enthusiastically support the social and economic provisions of the marijuana legislation signed into law on March 31, 2021. Based on our review of the legislation, we are of the opinion that New York has enacted the most progressive and far-reaching cannabis social equity provisions in the United States. We commend Assemblywomen Crystal People-Stokes, Senator Elizabeth Krueger, Kassandra Frederique, Executive Director of the Drug Policy Alliance, and countless others for their unwavering and tireless work to make a strong and comprehensive social equity policy a reality. Some of the highlights of the social equity provisions are:

- 50% of the marijuana licenses issued will go to social equity applicants,

- zero-interest and low-interest loans will be made available to social equity applicants,

- incubator programs will be available to support social equity applicants,

- authorizing the Cannabis Control Board to register additional medical marijuana companies that

specifically target communities disproportionately impacted by cannabis prohibition,

- use 40% of the tax revenue collected from the sale of marijuana to fund community reinvestment

grants, - use 40% of the tax revenue collected to fund eligible school districts, and

- use the remaining 20% of the tax revenue collected from the sale of marijuana to fund drug treatment

public education programs, youth focus prevention programs, and fund substance abuse and mental

health programs.

The marijuana legislation broadly defines social equity individuals as:

(a) individuals from communities disproportionately impacted by the enforcement of cannabis prohibition (b) minority-owned businesses

(c) women-owned businesses

(d) minority and women-owned businesses(e) distressed farmers and(f) service-disabled veterans.

The legislation further states the following:

Under the social and economic equity plan, extra priority (emphasis added) shall be given to applications that demonstrate that an applicant:

(a) is a member of a community disproportionately impacted by the enforcement of cannabis prohibition (b) has an income lower than eighty percent of the median income of the county in which the applicant resides and

c) was convicted of a marijuana-related offense prior to the effective date of this chapter, or had a parent, guardian, child, spouse, or dependent, or was a dependent of an individual who, prior to the effective date of this chapter, was convicted of a marijuana related offense.

As individuals and communities “Most Harmed” by the marijuana drug laws, we at the Cannabis Social Equity Coalition – NYS state unequivocally that we are the people referred to in the legislation that are entitled to extra priority under the social and economic equity plan.

The Cannabis Social Equity Coalition – NYS would like to assist the members of the Cannabis Control Board, the Executive Director of the Office of Cannabis Management, and the soon to be announced Cannabis Advisory Board achieve the social and economic promises memorialized in the marijuana legislation. We want the social equity program in New York State to succeed where other social equity programs in other states have failed. We know that social equity programs have been tried in other states and have failed miserably. We have taken the time to research social equity programs in other states and learn the reasons for their failure. We plan to use the lessons learned to advocate for a social equity policy in New York that can be a model for the rest of the country.

It is in this spirit that we have organized ourselves into a statewide coalition of individuals, community organizations and business professionals. As such, with the knowledge gleaned from other states as our guide, we would like to make several recommendations to Governor Hochul, members of the Cannabis Control Board and the Executive Director of the Office of Cannabis Management.

Attached please find fourteen (14) recommendations our research in other states indicates are the basic provisions necessary to ensure the success of the social equity program in New York.

The Cannabis Social Equity Coalition – NYS’s goal is to make the social equity program in New York State a model for social equity programs around the country. We would like to discuss with you in more detail the recommendations contained in the attachment. Kindly let me know a suitable time when my colleagues and I can talk with you, either face-to-face or by Zoom.

If you have any questions or I could be of further assistance, please feel free to contact me. I look forward to hearing from you.

All the best,

_______________________

Mika'il DeVeaux, Ph.D.

Chairman