Santa Monica’s social justice-centered pot program will present minorities, ex-cons and low-income people with tens of 1000’s of {dollars} in startup capital to assist open up pot outlets, and an area physician is giving the ultra-woke plan a grim analysis.
Santa Monica resident Dr. Houman David Hemmati is livid that the town, which is beset by homeless encampments and drug addicts and nonetheless reeling from paying a quarter-billion-dollar sexual abuse settlement, is now handing out subsidies to open extra hashish dispensaries.
“I’m appalled that our metropolis, already drowning in debt from a staggering $350-500 million molestation settlement and years of fiscal mismanagement, is now throwing tens of 1000’s in grants and hire subsidies at low-income people with prior hashish convictions to start out marijuana companies —primarily utilizing public cash to subsidize drug gross sales in a determined bid to generate income.” Hemmati advised The Submit.
“This so-called hashish fairness program prioritizes reparations for previous arrests over fixing actual neighborhood wants, like conserving our libraries open or addressing the homelessness disaster that’s turning our seashores into tent cities.”
Santa Monica’s so-called Hashish Fairness Program goals to “acknowledge and tackle the continuing unfavourable social affect related to the disproportionate enforcement of hashish insurance policies on Black, Indigenous,
and folks of colour (BIPOC) and low-income communities within the Metropolis,” in accordance with a FAQ web page concerning the initiative.
This system will present “micro-grants” between $5,000 and $25,000 to cowl “native or state licensing charges, skilled providers or first-year working bills” for individuals trying to open dispensaries — along with lease help and hire subsidies in sure circumstances.
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The web site states candidates should meet two out of three “fairness standards” in an effort to be eligible, together with a previous cannabis-related conviction or arrest, a family earnings lower than 60% of the world median earnings the place they stay and those that have lived in Los Angeles between 1980 and 2016 who’ve been “impacted by previous legal justice insurance policies” round marijuana prohibition.
At Santa Monica Metropolis Council assembly final September, an operator of the Harvest dispensary warned the governing physique that its equity-focused program was misguided.
“The massive tragedy that may occur for positive with this system is that simply because when you have a look at the factors for social fairness, your low-income, you’re a sufferer of crime, that doesn’t provide you with enterprise acumen,” the person who recognized himself as concerned with Harvest however who didn’t give his identify advised the council.
He advised a “mentorship program” for current canna-businesses to group up with would-be beginner pot store homeowners underneath this system for steerage.
Hemmati questioned the entire premise of couching this system as fairness the way in which the town has, and warned the downstream impacts might be greater than anybody anticipates.
“It’s ironic and tragic that a spot as progressive as Santa Monica is betting on pot income to bail itself out, whereas sidelining the security and well-being of its residents; this isn’t fairness, it’s exploitation disguised as social justice, and it dangers turning our vibrant coastal city right into a haze of poor selections and preventable tragedies.”
The town of Santa Monica is now accepting purposes for its Hashish Fairness Program.
