KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – The Kalamazoo Cty Commission Monday will hear about possible changes on how it utilizes a portion of state cannabis tax payments for communities that were negatively impacted by the war on drugs.
Voters in Michigan legalized marijuana in 2018, and the city approved local regulations in 2020, including their “social equity policy.”
City officials say nationwide data has shown that Black, Latino, and poor people were policed or imprisoned at a rate higher than others when marijuana was illegal. They say the social equity policy is an attempt to recognize and address that harm now that it is legal.
The focus of the policy to date has been to support those communities in finding work within the cannabis industry. While the city plans to keep the industry incentives, it is proposing that Kalamazoo’s portion of state taxes that are sent back to municipalities be used for broader economic support for people who were negatively impacted by the war on drugs.
Proposed revisions include expanding and protecting access to capital, supporting property and business ownership, and tools for building and transferring wealth to the next generation in their family.
The Kalamazoo City Commission will formally hear the proposed changes to the Marihuana Social Equity Policy at their business meeting Monday at 5:00 p.m. at City Hall.
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