The San Diego Social Justice Proposal may provide the necessary corrections

San Diego’s proposal to establish a social justice program would present eligibility criteria that would help participants find locations, receive funding, and receive key mentors from existing members of the cannabis industry.

It would create a revolving credit fund that would start with $5 million in the city’s cannabis tax revenue. That probably won’t be a problem, as San Diego reported over $24 million in cannabis tax revenue collected during the fiscal year ended June 30.

Only those who meet these two criteria are eligible:

• Applicants must have been convicted of a cannabis felony within the city limits of San Diego or have a family member convicted of a cannabis felony after January 1, 1994.
• Applicants must be a current or former resident of Barrio Logan, Linda Vista, Southeast San Diego, Encanto, Golden Hill, North Park, City Heights, the College Area, or San Ysidro for at least five years between 1980 and 2016.

Applicants must also meet two of these four criteria:

• Have a household income of less than 80% of the region’s median income.
• San Diego home loss through eviction, foreclosure, or subsidy removal after 1994.
• Attended a school in the San Diego Unified School District for at least five years between 1971 and 2016.
• Inducted into the foster system sometime between 1971 and 2016.

“We no longer speak in abstractions,” Kim Desmond, the City of San Diego’s director of race and justice, told The San Diego Union-Tribune. “It’s an industry riddled with racial differences.”

Bruce Mayberry, executive director of the San Diego Central Black Chamber of Commerce, echoed those statements, adding that the city needs to take action.

“If you look at the number of African Americans who were incarcerated and had their lives turned upside down when cannabis was illegal and now you look at the number of African Americans who are benefiting from cannabis, now that it’s legal, you can do it an argument that another crime is being committed,” Mayberry said.

San Diego’s equity problems

The problems facing the City and County of San Diego have already been outlined.

On July 7, the city of San Diego released the Draft Cannabis Equity Report, which details how Blacks and Latinos have accounted for about 50% of all arrests for cannabis since 2015, despite making up just 29% of San Diego’s population.

Problems with incorrect ownership represent another facet of the problem: the study found that in San Diego County, 68% of cannabis business license holders are white, while whites make up 44% of the county’s total population.

Latinos make up 34% of the total population — but own only 14% of cannabis business licenses. Blacks make up 5.6% of the borough’s population and own about 7% of cannabis licenses, possibly as a result of recent efforts.

The study also found a large discrepancy between male and female entrepreneurs.

San Diego’s cannabis equity program proposal will receive its next City Council hearing on September 20th. It must be approved by the end of October to meet a federally imposed deadline for the next round of cannabis equity funding, which is expected to total nearly $2 million, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune.

Voice of San Diego reports that the sale, distribution, manufacture and cultivation of cannabis remain prohibited in the unincorporated territories, but a statewide ordinance is expected to include a social justice provision. That ordinance could be introduced next year with a vote by the county board of directors.