Michigan's Marijuana Regulatory Agency is now taking social equity program applications online

As Michigan's new recreational marijuana industry continues to flourish, making sure that people who have been harmed by the War on Drugs can participate in it is imperative.

Across the country, Black people and Latinos have been disproportionately ensnared by drug laws, despite the fact that white people use marijuana at about the same rate.

To help remedy this, Michigan's Marijuana Regulatory Agency’s (MRA) has a social equity program. Section 8 of the Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marijuana Act (2018) requires the MRA to develop "a plan to promote and encourage participation in the marijuana industry by people from communities that have been disproportionately impacted by marijuana prohibition and enforcement and to positively impact those communities."

The social equity program offers financial assistance to people from communities that have been disproportionately impacted by marijuana prohibition, including cities like Detroit, Flint, Pontiac, and Ypsilanti, among others. Assistance includes reduced fees and educational and business resources.

The program is now accepting applications online at michigan.gov/MRA.

The MRA will also host a virtual outreach session at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 2. Attendance is free and those interested can register here.

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