When California voters easily approved the adult recreational use of cannabis in 2016, there were what might be called high hopes for the tax revenue, then projected to one day total $1 billion annually.
So far, for a number of reasons including competition from the black market, those projections haven’t come close to being realized.
But one promise contained in the passage of Proposition 64 has come true: Some of the tax money that legal cannabis sales and cultivation generate, as required under the proposition, are being used to fund substance use prevention among youth, especially those in low-income communities and communities of color that have been hit hard by the so-called war on drugs.
This week, the Center at Sierra Health Foundation, a private philanthropy under contract with the California Department of Health Care Services, announced that there is almost $30 million in grant money up for grabs for multiple-year projects aimed at educating youth about the potential harm of developing a substance use disorder.
Community-based and tribal organizations will compete for grants up to $1 million. The money will come from the California Cannabis Tax Fund, which derives its revenue from tax on the legal sales and cultivation of marijuana. Grants will be awarded for three-year, youth-focused projects that support disorder prevention, early intervention and treatment, Sierra Health and Elevate Youth California said in a news release announcing the second round of funding available from the state weed fund.
The first round supported 26 community partners with $21.5 million through November 2022.
When California voters easily approved the adult recreational use of cannabis in 2016, there were what might be called high hopes for the tax revenue, then projected to one day total $1 billion annually.
Eligible organizations applying for the second round of funding must seek to invest in youth leadership and development, provide services and support through the cultural lens of the communities they seek to serve and promote population-level impacts through policy, systems and environmental change.
Potential grantees may review the funding opportunity and the application process at a webinar on Sept. 10 from noon to 1:30 p.m. and Sept. 17 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Applications are due Oct. 2 at 1 p.m., and award announcements are tentatively scheduled for November.