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DENVER – The City of Denver’s Department of Economic Development and Opportunity is launching a new program designed to boost marijuana business ownership among welfare applicants.
The city defines social equity applicants as individuals who have been disproportionately affected by the prohibition and enforcement of marijuana.
“We’re partnering with a local business, a local organization called The Color of Cannabis, to provide a training program, a technical assistance program for those entrepreneurs who want to get into this industry,” said Chelsea Rosti, Department of Economic Development of Denver and chief of staff at Opportunity. “It will provide a training program for them that goes through everything from funding to regulations to marketing to challenges in the space.”
The Cannabis Social Equity Technical Assistance training will comprise 10 weeks of curriculum and will cover topics such as history, policy, compliance and best practices.
To qualify, applicants must meet at least one of the following criteria:
- Lived for at least 15 years between 1980 and 2010 in a census tract designated as a favorable area or a disproportionately affected area; or
- The applicant or a parent, legal guardian, sibling, spouse, child, or minor under their guardianship has been arrested for a marijuana offense, convicted of a marijuana offense, or has been the subject of a civil forfeiture of property related to a marijuana investigation; or
- The applicant’s household income in the year prior to application does not exceed 50% of the state median income as measured by the number of persons in the household.
“We’re really trying to level the playing field because frankly, this is an industry dominated by white, privileged individuals,” Rosti said.
Rosti says the city will use $500,00 in cannabis tax revenue to fund the training and hopes to serve 100 entrepreneurs over the life of the program.
The application deadline is Friday, July 15 at 5:00 p.m
Shanda Le Compte, owner of Canna Couriers, a marijuana delivery business in metro Denver, participates in a similar 10-week program through Color of Cannabis.
“I think it’s a fantastic program. It teaches you everything from licensing your business, your ad space, everything you need to start your business,” Le Compte said. “I think that’s the main thing applicants need are the resources to get ahead in the industry.”
But Le Compte says that even with the training, breaking into the industry is a challenge.
“We’ve been licensed for over a year now and we’re not operating or delivering anything,” Le Compte said.
Denver city leaders had hoped that keeping all marijuana delivery licenses for social participation candidates like Le Compte and requiring dispensaries to partner with them to provide delivery would open the door for more social participation candidates to enter the the industry. But according to city leaders, many dispensaries have no interest in these partnerships.
“I think the biggest battles we face are financial,” Le Compte said. “We’re your average people just trying to follow their dreams.”
Le Compte says the training is great, but more resources are needed.
“I think the state needs to help open up those jurisdictions that don’t allow delivery of cannabis because Denver is saturated. You can walk to any block and go to a dispensary, you know, but there are people who live outside of Denver, like Arvada or Westminster, or Parker, so many towns around us that don’t have that access. That is where we will benefit,” Le Conte said.
Le Compte says that for a Colorado industry that has $2.2 billion in sales in 2021, more access to financing would also be helpful.
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