<p><strong>Related:</strong> <a title="Washington Legislators Propose 65% Cannabis Concentrate Tax &amp; Other Major Bills" href="https://weedzly.com/library/washington-legislators-propose-65percent-cannabis-concentrate-tax-and-other-major-bills">Washington Legislators Propose 65% Cannabis Concentrate Tax &amp; Other Major Bills</a><br /><br />The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board has recently announced that the 30 day window to apply for a Social Equity License in the state of Washington will reopen on March 1, 2023. The WSLCB is the regulatory body that carries out Washington State's liquor, cannabis, vapor, and tobacco laws and regulations. The WSLCB has decided to reissue 44 retail licenses to qualified social equity applicants. The 44 licenses that are up for grabs were forfeited, cancelled, revoked or never issued. These licenses will be available in specific jurisdictions across the state.</p>
<p>To be eligible to apply for a social equity license, applicants must meet the eligible criteria. When the WSLCB opens the applications up on the 1st of March, there will be tons of people applying in hopes of being selected. Getting selected for a social equity license can be life changing, as for most people there would be no way without the social equity program.</p>
<h2 id="0">Eligiblity Requirements for Washington's Cannabis Social Equity Program</h2>
<p>To be eligible to apply, applicants must be a qualified social equity applicant. You can find the full checklist <a href="https://lcb.wa.gov/se/applicant-checklist">here </a>on the LCB government&nbsp; website, but we'll go over the details.</p>
<h3 id="1">Applicant Requirements</h3>
<p>At least 51% majority or controlling interest of the business must be held by a person who has resided in Washington state for at least 6 months prior to the application date, as well as meeting at least two of the following three qualifications:</p>
<ul>
<li>lived in a disproportionately impacted area (DIA) in Washington state for a minimum of five years between 1980 and 2010 -&nbsp;<a href="https://wslcb.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/lookup/index.html?appid=32b2c92afc63434c92db10d23b59421d" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">check your address history on the DIA map here</a>; OR</li>
<li>applicant or a&nbsp;<a href="https://lcb.wa.gov/sites/default/files/publications/Social_Equity/Social%20Equity%20Family%20Member%20Definition.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">family member</a>&nbsp;has been arrested or convicted of a cannabis offense; OR</li>
<li>household income was less than the median household income within the state of Washington (<strong>$82,400</strong>)&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
<p>There are some other things applicants have to prepare if they want to apply for a marijuana social equity license in Washington. As an applicant, you'll have to prepare a "Social Equity Plan". That may seem a bit tough, but it's necessary if you want to get things rolling as a potential social equity licensee. The Washington State government provides <a href="https://lcb.wa.gov/se/social-equity-plan">guidelines </a>on how you can put together your Social Equity Plan.&nbsp;<br /><br />The process may seem tough, but there are things that the state does to help make things easier if you do get approved. Washington State's social equity provisions include things like technical assistance grants, regulatory compliance training, priority licensing, and financial management training as well as assistance in seeking financing.&nbsp;</p>
<h3 id="2">Social Equity Cannabis Scoring Rubric</h3>
<p>Not all social equity applications have the same priority. Depending on the types of convictions you have, your application may be prioritized. The rubric below goes offer how many points you have based off your convictions. The way the social equity licensees are selected is by highest score. The WSLCB will select applicants who have the highest scores. Your score is based off how severely you've been impacted by the negative cannabis laws in the past. In the event of a tie, the WSCLB will use a double-blind lottery system conducted by an independent third party to make the decision.<br /><br /></p>
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 428.188px; border-color: #000000; border-style: solid;">
<thead>
<tr style="height: 25.1875px;">
<th style="width: 42.0366%; height: 25.1875px;">Eligibility Requirements</th>
<th style="width: 57.9634%; height: 25.1875px;">Point Scale</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 50.375px;">
<td style="width: 42.0366%; height: 50.375px;">1. Have you lived in a disproportionately impacted area? (DIA)</td>
<td style="width: 57.9634%; height: 50.375px;">&nbsp;40</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 25.1875px;">
<td style="width: 42.0366%; height: 25.1875px;">1a. How long have you lived in a DIA?</td>
<td style="width: 57.9634%; height: 25.1875px;">&nbsp;10 points (5y-10y) / 20 points if (10+ years)</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 25.1875px;">
<td style="width: 42.0366%; height: 25.1875px;">2. Convicted of a drug offense? (Self)</td>
<td style="width: 57.9634%; height: 25.1875px;">&nbsp;10</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 25.1875px;">
<td style="width: 42.0366%; height: 25.1875px;">2a. Convicted of a cannabis offense? (Self)</td>
<td style="width: 57.9634%; height: 25.1875px;">&nbsp;40</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 25.1875px;">
<td style="width: 42.0366%; height: 25.1875px;">3. Convicted of a drug offense? (Family)</td>
<td style="width: 57.9634%; height: 25.1875px;">&nbsp;5</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 25.1875px;">
<td style="width: 42.0366%; height: 25.1875px;">3a. Convicted of a cannabis offense? (Family)</td>
<td style="width: 57.9634%; height: 25.1875px;">&nbsp;5</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 50.375px;">
<td style="width: 42.0366%; height: 50.375px;">4. Sentence received for cannabis offense (Self)</td>
<td style="width: 57.9634%; height: 50.375px;">&nbsp;Fine = 10 points, Probation = 20 points, Confined to home = 40 points, Jail/Prison = 80 points</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 25.1875px;">
<td style="width: 42.0366%; height: 25.1875px;">5. Lost employment due to incarceration</td>
<td style="width: 57.9634%; height: 25.1875px;">&nbsp;5</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 25.1875px;">
<td style="width: 42.0366%; height: 25.1875px;">6. Lost home due to convictions/arrests</td>
<td style="width: 57.9634%; height: 25.1875px;">&nbsp;5</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 25.1875px;">
<td style="width: 42.0366%; height: 25.1875px;">7. Household income below state median</td>
<td style="width: 57.9634%; height: 25.1875px;">&nbsp;40</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 50.375px;">
<td style="width: 42.0366%; height: 50.375px;">8. Owned a medical cannabis dispensary/garden prior to July 1, 2016&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 57.9634%; height: 50.375px;">&nbsp;10</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 25.1875px;">
<td style="width: 42.0366%; height: 25.1875px;">8a. Have you owned a medical cannabis dispensary/garden in a DIA?</td>
<td style="width: 57.9634%; height: 25.1875px;">&nbsp;30</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 25.1875px;">
<td style="width: 42.0366%; height: 25.1875px;">9. Have you had majority interest in a state cannabis retailer license?</td>
<td style="width: 57.9634%; height: 25.1875px;">&nbsp;No = 10 points / Yes = 0 points</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>Since applicants are selected based off the highest point total, the most likely winner is someone who has been severely impacted by these past cannabis laws. If you are lucky enough to get selected, there are some rules and restrictions that you should know about.&nbsp;</p>
<h3 id="3">Other Restrictions For Social Equity Licensees</h3>
<p><strong>Ownership Changes:</strong> Social equity applicants may not make ownership changes to an application after the application has been reviewed, scored, and prioritized by the social equity contractor.<br /><strong>License Mobility:</strong> Social equity licenses that are currently designated to specific cities may be located anywhere within the county in which the city is located. However, the license may not be transferred outside of that county.<br /><strong>No Transfer Within First Year</strong>: Licenses awarded under this section may not be transferred or assumed within the first year of the license being issued. Licenses awarded under this section may only be transferred to or assumed by individuals or groups of individuals who meet the definition of a social equity program applicant for a period of five years from the date of the initial license was approved.</p>
<h3 id="4">Does Washington Offer Fee Reductions For Social Equity Applicants?</h3>
<p>No, Washington state does not offer fee reductions. The annual fee for issuance, re-issuance and renewal for social equity license holders is the same as general applicants.&nbsp;</p>
<p>For thousands of people, owning a cannabis dispensary is a far fetched dream. Thanks to social equity programs all across different states, people who had thought they could never own a dispensary of their own are able to. Cannabis enthusiants living in Washington who have previous cannabis convictions should apply for the social equity program if they have interested in running their own dispensary. If selected for a license getting funding and support is always something that could be done.</p>