Holyoke’s Equity Plan
City of Holyoke’s Equity Plan
Mission Statement: The City of Holyoke is committed to promoting social equity and ensuring that individuals and businesses from communities disproportionately impacted by cannabis prohibition have equitable access to fully participate in the regulated cannabis industry.
Holyoke seeks to meet the objective set by state law M.G.L. Ch. 94G 4 that requires the Cannabis Control Commission to create regulations for licensees and municipalities to engage in “procedures and policies to promote and encourage full participation in the regulated cannabis industry by people from communities that have previously been disproportionately harmed by marijuana prohibition and enforcement and to positively impact those communities.”
Regulations are as follows in 935 CMR 500.181 (5)
(1) 935 CMR 500.181 is governed by M.G.L. c. 94G §§ 3 and 4, as amended by St. 2022, c. 180. Pursuant to M.G.L. c. 94G § 3, the Commission must establish minimum acceptable standards for Host Communities to promote and encourage full participation in the regulated Marijuana industry by people from communities that were disproportionately harmed by Marijuana prohibition and enforcement and to positively impact those communities.
(2) M.G.L. c. 94G, § 4(a)(xxxi)-(xxxii) empowers the Commission to establish procedures for municipalities to promote and encourage full participation in the regulated Marijuana industry during negotiations of HCAs with Social Equity Businesses and to develop minimum acceptable standards governing HCA negotiations with Social Equity Businesses. The Commission is further authorized to develop best practices for HCA negotiations between municipalities and License Applicants that have been designated as Social Equity Program Participants or Economic Empowerment Priority Applicants. [See Holyoke website for local steps.]
935 CMR 500.181 (3) Equity Standards for Host Communities to Promote and Encourage Full Participation in the Regulated Marijuana Industry.
2. A Host community shall develop an equity plan to promote and encourage full participation in the regulated cannabis industry by individuals from communities disproportionately harmed by cannabis prohibition and enforcement and shall publicize its equity plan in a conspicuous location at its offices and on its website. A Host Community’s equity plan shall:
a. Encourage applications from business and individuals that would meet the definition of Social Equity Businesses, Social Equity Program Participants, and Economic Empowerment Priority Applicants as determined by the Commission; and b. Include goals, programs, and measurements a Host Community will utilize to promote and encourage equity participation.
Primary Target Group (PTG):
The Commission has identified the groups Positive Impact Plans are intended to Impact as the following:
● Past or present residents of the geographic ADI, which have been defined by the Commission and identified in its “Guidance for Identifying Areas of Disproportionate Impact”
● Commission-designated Economic Empowerment priority applicants;
● Commission-designated Social Equity Program participants;
● Massachusetts residents who have past drug convictions; and
● Massachusetts residents with parents or spouses who have drug convictions.
● The above persons are hereinafter be referred to as the Primary Target Group (PTG)
Programs:
Holyoke currently holds HCAs with 17 Social Equity (SE) and Economic Empowerment (EE) licenses. As no additional SE/EE applicants have inquired with the City to negotiate HCAs in the current year, we will focus our Equity efforts on the current SE/EE HCA holders who are still pursuing operations. To effectuate more robust participation by current SE/EE HCA holders, the following programs are proposed:
1. Bringing SE/EE forward in their licensing process; Holyoke understands the process to commence operations is challenging technically and financially. We can facilitate progress by collecting data on where SE/EE holders are in their process and communicating with licensees directly in assessing their obstacles to operations. With the purported upcoming rounds of SE/EE funding from the Executive Office of Economic Development, we anticipate some of the current HCA holders in the City will be able to fund next steps. Holyoke will offer technical assistance related to our city ordinance and track the progress SE/EEs make, remaining communicative with licensees in keeping them moving forward.
2. Licensee networking and collaboration; Holyoke will communicate our Equity goals to general applicants in the city, facilitating collaboration and networking opportunities between licensees. As some licensees may have technical, knowledge, or market resources other local licensees can take advantage of in a synergistic manner, Holyoke will be a resource hub for such collaboration through the Office of Planning and Economic Development.
3. Industry Marketing through Chamber of Commerce; Holyoke may contribute funds to the Chamber of Commerce to organize and contract marketing efforts in order to boost economic growth in the industry. If available, Holyoke will also pursue grants through the Executive Office of Economic Development which may boost funding for marketing efforts to support SE/EE licensees currently holding HCAs with the City.
4. Adopting a policy of providing HCA Waivers to all SE/EE participants. As HCA holders update HCAs for compliance, SE/EE will be provided an HCA Waiver.
Goals:
1. Annually, or upon review by the regulatory body, we have a goal to Increase by 20% the number of Social Equity cannabis business licensees who currently hold active Host Community Agreements in Holyoke in reaching their next step in the licensing process (whether it be obtaining Provisional, Final Licensing, or Commence Operations or another measurable step.
2. Offer 25 hours of free technical assistance to current HCA holders that are SE/EE in permitting, licensing, or other assistance annually.
3. Facilitate business development and collaboration through the introduction between and support of non Equity HCAs holders in Holyoke in supporting or engaging with SE/EE businesses. We will list business development resources on our website to facilitate a transparent permitting process..
4. To provide all current HCA holders who are SE/EE participants with HCA Waivers.
Metrics:
1. Holyoke will collect data on the current stage of SE/EE HCA holders. Within annual review of our Equity plan, we will measure the number of licensees who moved at least one step closer to their operational goals. This will provide a percentage of increase of SE/EE’s reaching a next step in their process.
2. Collecting data on the number of hours of technical assistance provided to current SE/EE HCA holders by City departments or outsourced to third-party contractors, we will measure the number of hours provided and report to the CCC.
3. After facilitating connection, communication and collaboration between SE/EE and general HCA holders, we will collect data in the form of a survey or other means on which licensees collaborated in a manner that facilitated SE/EE licensees achieving participation in the industry.
4. We will report the number of SE/EE participants who hold an active HCA Waiver.