Portland, OR Gave $1.8M To Businesses And Nonprofits To Promote Restorative Cannabis Justice

Back in May, the Portland City Council unanimously approved the Office of Community & Civic Life’s Social Equity and Educational Development (SEED) Initiatives and awarded 17 local nonprofit organizations and businesses a total of $1.8 million dollars. 

The funds were distributed to aid, strengthen and advance restorative justice, community reinvestment and wealth creation for Oregon's Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) who have been disproportionally impacted by more than 80 years of cannabis prohibition laws.

The SEED Initiatives is the first program in the United States to integrate equity programming within a cannabis regulatory office.

Portland City Council’s decision to allocate ongoing funding to SEED Initiatives is one small step toward repairing the lasting legal, social, economic, and inter-generational consequences that past cannabis prohibition has had on BIPOC communities.

Dasheeda Dawson, supervisor of the cannabis program, told Benzinga, “Plant a SEED and watch it grow. Investing in equitable programs like the SEED Initiatives is just the beginning. Today marks my one-year anniversary at the City of Portland to reimagine the cannabis industry, build equitable policies and prioritize racial and social equity for thousands in Portland. Portland has a forest of opportunities ahead, and I’m truly proud to demonstrate the global potential the cannabis economy has in drawing inspiration from the SEED Initiatives program.”

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• Entrevista a Snow Tha Product: Bizarrap, Persistencia, Weed y el Camino al Éxito

Photo by Hush Naidoo on Unsplash