Marijuana Regulatory Agency Announces Social Equity Program Education and Outreach Session in Detroit

July 31, 2019 – The Marijuana Regulatory Agency’s (MRA) social equity team announced today that it will hold its first education and outreach session in the City of Detroit next week to promote and encourage participation in the licensed marijuana market.

Date: Monday, August 5, 2019
Time: 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Place: Coleman A. Young Municipal Center
            Erma Lois Henderson Auditorium
            2 Woodward Avenue
            Detroit, MI 48226

Presentations will be given by the following state agencies:

• MRA's social equity team
• MRA's enforcement team
• Bureau of Fire Services (BFS)
• Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)
• Department of Treasury

While attendance is free, space is limited. Interested participants need to register by Friday, August 2 at 5:00 PM at the following website: http://bit.ly/MRADetroit

During the visit, the MRA will provide educational sessions regarding the social equity program and the application and licensure process. The MRA’s social equity representatives will be available to assist individuals with completing the social equity application, which will allow the MRA to determine if the individual qualifies for participation in the program.

Participating in the Social Equity Program allows qualifying applicants whose marijuana establishments will be located in disproportionately impacted communities to benefit from a reduction of up to 60% off the application fee, the initial license fee, and future renewal fees, which will be calculated as follows for qualifying applicants:

• 25% reduction for those who have been a resident of one of the 19 disproportionally impacted communities for the past five years
• An additional 25% reduction if the individual(s) holding majority ownership have been a resident of one of the 19 disproportionally impacted communities for the past five years AND have a marijuana-related conviction.
• An additional 10% reduction if the individual(s) holding majority ownership have been a resident of one of the 19 disproportionally impacted communities for the past five years AND were registered as primary caregivers for at least two years between 2008 and 2017.

Social Equity Representatives will confirm eligibility for participation in this program through acceptance of several forms of documentation.

Section 8 of the Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marijuana Act (2018) required 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.”