At Last: A Trio of Retailers Open Under Los Angeles' Social Equity Program

From CULTURE

"Following a lengthy application process dating back to September 2019 and an amendment to increase licensing for eligible businesses, three cannabis businesses were given temporary approval to open retail stores under

Los Angeles’ cannabis social equity program.

The three retailers are among 200 total which were deemed eligible for the social equity retail licenses. The initial plan was to only issue 100 licenses, but it was increased to 200 after a settlement last summer around a lawsuit that sought to throw out the results from the licensing window in September 2019.

As of right now, there is not an easy estimate as to when the remaining, qualified 197 applicants will be able to open for business, if they will be able to open at all. The equity program has experienced a number of delays among lawsuits and complaints around mismanagement of the program.

The Artist Tree in Koreatown was one of the three businesses that opened its doors recently, receiving temporary approval from the city to operate in April, nearly 20 months after they first signed their lease.

Read the whole ARTICLE HERE