Arizona officials announced that the state has awarded its first round of Justice Reinvestment Grants. The grants were given to 18 nonprofit organizations in the community. The program, which was created by the state’s 2020 marijuana laws, will be funded by tax revenue on legal cannabis sales.
The grant program supports many goals, including public and mental health such as substance abuse prevention and treatment. It also supports workforce development programs and mentorship in economically depressed areas.
According to the law, the program is entitled to 35 percent of the Justice Reinvestment Fund of the state, which is funded by 10 percent of tax revenues from legal cannabis sales. The remaining 30 percent of the fund is given to the Arizona Department of Health Services to address important public health concerns that affect the state.
Arizona voters approved Prop 207 three years ago. This legalized adult marijuana use and created a Justice Reinvestment Fund!
We are pleased to announce our first grant recipients for this year! Read more in today’s blog: https://t.co/leU050vR3g pic.twitter.com/PJQznZLP61
— AZ Department Of Health (@AZDHS December 21, 2020
The first round of grant recipients includes the following organizations:
- Northland Family Help Center
- Hushabye Nursery
- Axiom Community of Recovery
- Cihuapactli Collective
- Stuck Community Acupuncture, Inc
- Phoenix Indian Center
- Arouet Foundation
- Friendly House
- Jobs for Arizona Graduates (JAG).
- Persevere
- Circles of Peace: Constructing Circles of Peace
- Regional Center for Border Health, Inc. – Yuma
- Regional Center for Border Health, Inc. – Parker
- Arizona Democracy Resource Center
- Southern Arizona Legal Aid, Inc.
- Just Communities Arizona
- My Sister, Our Brother
ADHS stated in a release that it began with an analysis which “identified priority community across the state where 18 listening sessions held” to gauge public interest. These sessions revealed that there was a wide range of services participants thought would benefit their community, including neighborhood security and community spaces, such as parks, community centers, cultural awareness training, more affordable housing and healthy food, stigma reduction, and culturally-appropriate health services, technology training for people who were formerly incarcerated, youth development, and substance abuse education and prevention.
ADHS stated that “the awarded projects address all the key focus areas as outlined in statutes and community listening sessions, and represent communities across Arizona.” The Office of Health Equity is developing a robust evaluation process for funded projects to ensure they serve their intended communities and have a positive impact. The program evaluation will determine if the awardees have met their goals, and the collected data will be used to improve the program.
released that the office would “share best practices and lessons learned, as well as build partnerships in order to support the communities it serves.”
The state announced in early September that the legal cannabis sales for 2020 will surpass $1 billion.
Arizona is one of the states that have legalized cannabis and invest at least a portion of their revenue back into the community. New Jersey recently opened a new application round for its marijuana social equity funding program. The state will award $150,000 in grants and provide eight weeks of technical support to the recipients.
California announced that it would be accepting applications for 48 million dollars in community reinvestment grant funded by marijuana taxes. These grants will support job placements, legal aid, treatment for mental health and addiction disorders, referrals for medical care, and other services, for communities disproportionately impacted by the drug-war. This program, which offers grants up to $3,000,000, is funded solely by state cannabis revenues.
In June, California regulators from the Department of Cannabis Control announced that they had awarded $4.1 millions to 18 local governments as part of a unique program designed to support licensing programs for cannabis businesses and to curb the illegal market.
DCC also awarded nearly $20,000,000 in research grants to 16 academic institutions, which were funded by marijuana taxes, for the purpose of carrying out cannabis studies, including novel cannabinoids such as delta-8 THC, and genetics of many “legacy strains” throughout the state. In February, state officials awarded $15 million to local efforts to promote equity within the marijuana industry.
California and Michigan announced in November new grant rounds that were aimed at promoting social equity. California’s program allocates $15 million in funds for local jurisdictions that have equity programs. Michigan’s puts $1 million towards equity applicants’ employee training, business needs, and/or community investment.
Illinois distributed $45 million last year in grants under its Restore, Reinvest, Renew (R3) Program, which was created under the state’s Adult-Use Cannabis Legalization Law. The funds were distributed to 148 organizations with relatively low budgets that operate in socioeconomically challenged communities.
The Most important federal and congressional marijuana policy developments of 2023
The post Arizona Awards “Justice Reinvestment” Grants to 18 Community Nonprofits Paid for With Marijuana Income first appeared on Marijuana Moment.
