The question of who would benefit from the legalization and commercialization of cannabis in Connecticut was divisive from the start, even as the issue was framed loftily as a means to "community reinvestment" in the neighborhoods disproportionately harmed by America's racially tinged war on drugs.
Internecine differences over access to industry licenses nearly derailed legalization, which narrowly passed in special session on June 17, 2021 — the 50th anniversary of Richard Nixon's declaration of illicit drugs as "public enemy No. 1," an act a Nixon aide later described as intended to disrupt political enemies, Blacks and the antiwar left.
Now, the first distribution of community reinvestment funds generated by license fees has prompted an unusual examination of the Social Equity Council, a small agency that oversees key elements of cannabis policies and licensing, as well as a turf war with urban legislators.
The $5.2 million in the initial 162 community reinvestment grants authorized last year was sprinkled among scores of churches, youth programs and other nonprofits in census tracts deemed to be "disproportionately impacted areas," or DIAs, as measured by poverty and residents convicted of drug crimes.
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