LOS ANGELES (CN) – Poised to become one of the largest recreational cannabis industries in the nation, the Los Angeles City Council continued to calibrate its regulations for the new commercial industry even as it approved a bulk of ordinances at its Wednesday meeting.
Starting Jan. 1, the state of California will begin issuing licenses for recreational cannabis businesses. The City Council approved the legal foundation of that industry in LA, and plans to return funding to local communities through sales and taxes, give priority to cannabis businesses already operating in the city and to help communities impacted by the decades-long war on drugs.
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A Social Equity Program would give those previously incarcerated on cannabis-related charges an on-ramp to become employees or business owners in the new industry.
City Council president Herb Wesson said of the Social Equity Program, “It’s not a diversity program. It’s not a low-income program. It’s about trying to correct a wrong.”
But council members’ concerns persisted, including how to modify buffer zones to keep cannabis businesses away from schools, public parks and drug and alcohol rehabilitation locations.
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