May 2024
Mental Health Awareness Month was established in 1949 to increase awareness of the importance of mental health and wellness in Americans’ lives and to celebrate recovery from mental illness. People from racial and ethnic minority groups are less likely to receive mental health care. In 2015, among adults with any mental illness, 48% of caucasian received mental health services, compared with 31% of black and Hispanic people, and 22% of Asians. (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. 2015 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report. 2016) This is due to multiple factors including inaccessibility of high quality mental health care services, cultural stigma surrounding mental health care, discrimination, and an overall lack of awareness about mental health.
Running a business can be exhilarating yet stressful, and mental resilience is the cornerstone of every business’s strength and longevity. Take care of yourself, and your business will thrive alongside you! While diverse communities are becoming more comfortable discussing mental health issues, it can still be challenging to know “Where to Start.” Check out this Toolkit for more information to learn about and advocate for the importance of mental health.
AAPI stands for Asian American and Pacific Islander. The term is used to describe a diverse and fast-growing population of 23 million Americans that includes roughly 50 ethnic groups with roots in more than 40 countries. May is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month (or AAPIHM for short), first created by Congress in 1992 and falls in May because of several historical milestones, including the 1843 arrival of the first Japanese immigrants, and Chinese laborers’ contributions to building the transcontinental railroad, which was finished in May 1869. AAPI Heritage Month celebrates the journey of all AAPI immigrants and citizens in the United States. It celebrates their unique life experiences, traditions and cultures.
Coaching is back! DCR offers over 1,500 hours of free business, professional, and workforce development coaching with subject-matter experts from a wide range of expertise. Fill out and submit the Coaching Indemnification Form in order to schedule your next Coaching session!
BLC Spotlight
EQUITY WEEK 2024
DCR congratulates all our SEP entrepreneurs on a successful 420! The department extends our gratitude and congratulations to the champions of the social equity community whose unwavering dedication and perseverance have laid the foundations for a more inclusive and equitable future.
Continue to support Los Angeles-Based Social Equity Businesses and Brands
Annual Licensing Update
To date, 29 retailers have received approval for Annual Licenses from the City of Los Angeles Cannabis Regulation Commission (CRC).
Community meetings are a requirement prior to scheduling a hearing in front of the Cannabis Regulation Commission, who is ultimately responsible for the approval or denial of an Annual License. On March 14, 2024, DCR hosted its first virtual community meeting that is part of the process to review retail storefront cannabis business annual license applications.
DCR continues to prioritize the review of all annual applications based on the following criteria: (1) upcoming State license expiration dates; (2) non-retail Social Equity businesses who do not have a State provisional license; (3) Social Equity retail businesses; and, (4) all other businesses.
To find out more about the Annual Licensing process, please visit our website. DCR will be releasing a guide with next steps this month for all recent recipients of an Annual License, stay tuned.
Do you have a DBA (Doing Business As)? Is it registered in Accela?
If not, you will also need to submit a Modification Request with DCR (via Accela) to add your DBA.
To complete this process, please complete and submit form LIC-4001-MOD and include the FBN filing stamped by the LA County Registrar Recorder/Clerk. Modification requests are free of charge.
Please file this ASAP as it needs to be completed before you receive a Notice of Completed Application pertaining to the annual licensing process. If you have any questions about the DBA process, reach out to your assigned DCR licensing staff member.
DCC EQUITY FEE WAIVER FUNDING NOTICE
Attention!
Funding for equity fee waivers offered to qualified businesses through the Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) has been exhausted. However, equity businesses may still qualify for six-month fee deferrals.
Equity licensees are still encouraged to apply for a fee waiver through the Department of Cannabis Control and the Department will continue to review submissions even after funds are exhausted, as fee waiver qualifications are a requirement for other programs offered through other agencies.
SOCIAL EQUITY DEADLINE EXTENSION
Mayor Karen Bass signed into law a deadline extension for 100 Social Equity Applicants selected in the Phase 3 Retail Round 2 Retail Cannabis License Lottery, allowing them three additional years, until December 31, 2026, to enter the licensing application process. The original deadline expired on December 8, 2023. The new ordinance also allows DCR to continue accepting Temporary Approval applications from retail social equity applicants through January 1, 2031.
The move by the City Council came after the passage of the State’s SB 51, which allows the State of California’s Department of Cannabis Control to extend its provisional license program by allowing cannabis equity retail applicants or licensees to obtain or renew state provisional licenses after the prior deadline of June 30, 2023.
SOCIAL EQUITY PROGRAM WEBSITE UNDERGOING MAINTENANCE
The Social Equity Program website (dcrsep.org) dedicated to the Business, License, and Compliance Programs and DCR Job Board is undergoing maintenance. For information on the SEP, please click here for the DCR website.
Pro Bono - Low Bono Legal Services Now Available
All Social Equity Individual Applicants who have passed the Pre-Application stage are now eligible to apply for Pro Bono - Low Bono Legal Services offered by the DCR Social Equity Program in partnership with the Los Angeles County Bar Association (LACBA).
Access to affordable legal services continues to be a major barrier for the Social Equity community. It is critical that Social Equity Individual Applicants and Licensees seek and obtain legal counsel early to avoid predatory practices, pitfalls, and mistakes. Applicants can apply to receive up to 40 hours of legal services: 10 hours of free pro bono assistance and 30 hours of low bono assistance for $35 per hour.
Try the FREE Learning Management System (LMS)
As part of the BLC Assistance Program, this online Learning Management System (LMS) provides you with over 160 hours of self-paced educational content on key topics to assist with standing up your business and staying in compliance.
If you are accessing the LMS system for the first time, please log in using the email address linked to your DCR Accela Account and use “Password1”. If you are having difficulty logging into the LMS, contact us at dcr.sep@lacity.org
Get the latest cannabis news from around the country.
News
Cannabis Retailers Report Robust Sales From 420 Weekend.
Cannabis Is Booming, But Who Benefits? Black Women Discuss The Highs and Lows Of The Cannabis Industry
Coalition Of Justice Groups Pushes President Biden To Support Cannabis Legalization Instead Of Schedule III Move
Congressman Predicts That This Is The Last 420 With Cannabis As ‘Schedule 1’
Take a Look At Some of The Top Ranked Dispensaries in Los Angeles Right Now.
Missouri Warns Cannabis License Applicants Of ‘Predatory Practices’ Around Social Equity Status
Senator Files Cannabis Expungements Bill In Banking Reform Package.
10 Pop Culture Moments That Destigmatized Weed.
A Federal Study Finds An ‘Increasing Cultural Acceptance Of Cannabis‘ As Medical Cannabis Patient Enrollment Grows 610% Since 2016.
- Free Pro Bono - Low Bono ($35/hour) Legal Services
- Learning Management System (LMS)
- Support Social Equity Program (SEP) stores - Find a retailer HERE
Thank you for reading our monthly CannaDispatch newsletter, designed to provide timely and useful information about DCR-SEP news, services, programming and resources for the Los Angeles Social Equity community, SEIAs, licensees and operators.
If you have suggestions for future newsletter topics, please email us at dcr.sep@lacity.org. The DCR public counter is open Tuesday and Wednesday from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM at 221 N. Figueroa St, Suite 1245, Los Angeles, CA 90012. Call (213) 978-0738 to speak with a DCR representative.