Washington State Governor Jay Inslee, D, announced the Community Reinvestment Fund. These funds, provided by state cannabis tax revenue, would go to communities severely impacted by the war on drugs. This fund is included in the governor’s $62 billion supplemental budget.
“We have a moral obligation, the governor would argue, to support these communities and help them repair,” said Senior Policy Adviser RaShelle Davis.
The Community Reinvestment Fund would focus on four aspects:
- Violence prevention
- Re-entry services for previously incarcerated individuals
- Legal aid for record expungement
- Developing economic capital
Currently, half of all cannabis revenue generated across the state goes to the state’s health care system. Next, one third of the cannabis tax revenue goes to the state’s general fund. There, the governor determines how the funds would best benefit the state. Finally, what remains becomes split between local governments, licensing and enforcement, education, prevention, researching, and testing.
Activist Response
While things are moving forward in Washington for those affected by the war on drugs, some activists are saying it’s not enough. One individual is Jim Buchanan, the president of the Washington State African American Cannabis Association. Originally, he and his organization wanted to see $250 million from cannabis revenue allocated to the Community Reinvestment Fund. However, this proposed amount . Instead of refusing to give any funding, Governor Inslee cut Buchanan’s proposed amount in half, settling on $125 million for the Community Reinvestment Fund.
Buchanan, when asked about the funding being cut, he said it was better than nothing. “$125 million is $125 million a year more than what we had before.”
Next Steps
Governor Inslee’s supplemental budget still needs approval from the Washington state House and Senate before the regular legislative session ends at the beginning of March. Only after its approved will communities in need begin seeing these funds. As more information becomes available, we will update you with the latest.
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