The Mayor of Seattle unveils bills to improve equity in the cannabis industry

People have been asking and voices have been heard about the push for a fairer cannabis industry and Seattle, Washington leaders are making changes.

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell presented the Seattle City Council with three new bills that would encourage more diverse involvement in the city’s cannabis industry, announced Aug. 9. The proposals were developed in partnership with council member Teresa Mosqueda as well as a pool of cannabis industry stakeholders and employees.

The proposed legislation would allow the city to take “tangible steps to improve fairness and opportunity” in the cannabis industry as Washington begins issuing statewide social justice cannabis licenses.

“For a thriving Seattle economy, every worker and every company deserves[s] Safety and the opportunity to learn, grow and thrive,” Mayor Harrell said in a press release. “As the cannabis industry continues to evolve, we must correct course and support the communities that have all too often been left behind. Justice in this industry means safe working conditions and fair treatment of workers, store ownership that encompasses communities hardest hit by the war on drugs, and a commitment to fairness, innovation and opportunity.”

The series of bills would create a city-level social justice license designed to reduce barriers to opening cannabis businesses for underrepresented communities and those hardest hit by the war on drugs. They would work with the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board to lay the groundwork for future cannabis companies to also issue licenses through a social justice framework.

The legislation would require the store’s staff to be retained for 90 days if ownership changes – similar to the protections created for hotel workers in 2019. They would establish a short-term cannabis advisory committee, selected in conjunction with the city council, to gather input on cannabis justice and needs from workers, community members and industry leaders. A needs analysis would be conducted to understand additional steps to make the industry more resilient and sustainable for diverse communities.

The legislation would work with county and local government efforts to advance work to overturn convictions for cannabis-related crimes prior to 2014. Finally, the legislation would develop a state and federal legislative agenda to promote cannabis equity, as well as safety improvements, capital investments and access to banking services.

Mayor Harrell joined the Seattle City Council to call for passage of the state’s SAFE Banking Act to allow cannabis companies access to banking.

“After years [our] Community demanding more justice in the cannabis industry, this legislation represents a first step in the right direction to create local justice drives, improve labor standards and focus on the safety of cannabis industry workers. Thank you to the broad coalition led by cannabis industry workers and companies who are demanding reform in this industry and will not back down. I look forward to continuing to work with you and the Mayor’s Office to make these first policy steps effective and to build on this approach to create more cannabis justice to address the damage caused by the War on Drugs and previous harmful ones guidelines were caused.”

The legislation was also supported by union members from the UFCW 3000. “This legislation is an important first step in achieving vital protections for cannabis workers,” said Joe Mizrahi, secretary and treasurer of the UFCW 3000. “The essential cannabis workers of the UFCW 3000 look forward to working with the Office of the Mayor and City Council, with.” a broad coalition of community stakeholders to build on this foundation for years to come.”

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