SACRAMENTO (September 10, 2020) – The Board of State and Community Corrections today awarded to 10 local governments nearly $10 million in grants funded by taxes on marijuana sales for the mitigation of impacts cannabis use and production create.

The nine counties and one city that will receive funding will use it for programs ranging from those that target youth at highest risk of cannabis drug use to those that mitigate the environmental damaged caused by illegal growing operations.

The Proposition 64 Public Health and Safety Grant Program was established as part of the 2016 voter-approved initiative that legalized recreational cannabis sales and use in California. A portion of the tax revenue generated was earmarked for programs that would mitigate the impacts.

Recipients include: Humboldt County, which will receive $1 million for youth drug education programs and for mitigation of environmental damage; Monterey County, which will receive nearly $1 million for youth outreach and drug-prevention programs; and the City of Marysville, which will use nearly $1 million for school intervention and support programs for youth impacted by cannabis use.

The grant cycle runs from October 1, 2020 to September 20, 2023.

The successful recipients were required to allow both indoor and outdoor cultivation as well as sales, a statutory requirement some urban jurisdictions had challenges meeting.

Assembly Bill 1872, which amends the Revenue and Taxation Code to increase eligibility to jurisdictions that allow either indoor or outdoor cultivation passed the Legislature in the last days of the 2020 session. AB 1872 is awaiting action by the Governor. If the bill is signed, the Board would be able to consider launching the next round of Prop 64 grants as soon as November 2020. There remains approximately $14 million in the BSCC Prop 64 fund that could be made available to newly eligible local jurisdictions.

For more information about the grant please contact Helene.Zentner@bscc.ca.gov