Last week, the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) awarded $52.4 million to nonprofit organizations and health departments through the California Community Reinvestment Grants (CalCRG) program, which was established as part of Prop. 64. Funded in part by the cannabis excise tax, this program serves communities disproportionately affected by past federal and state drug policies, and last week’s announcement marks the seventh round of grants under the program. Since April 2020, the CalCRG program has provided millions of dollars in grants to support job placement, mental health treatment, substance use disorder treatment, system navigation services, legal services to address barriers to reentry, and linkages to medical care for communities disproportionately affected by past federal and state drug policies, also known as the War on Drugs. This year, the counties with the organizations receiving the largest total awards are the County of Los Angeles (over $7 million), the County of San Diego (over $7 million), and the County of San Bernardino (over $5 million). Under this year‘s round of CalCRG grants, the County of Sacramento and the City and County of San Francisco will see their qualified community-based nonprofit organizations receive around $5 million total in each of these two jurisdictions. Decades of drug war policies have led to the mass incarceration of people from low-income and minority communities, especially Black and Latinx populations. These groups are much more likely to be arrested, convicted, and receive harsher sentences for drug offenses compared to their White counterparts, despite similar rates of drug use. A criminal record for drug offenses often results in lifelong barriers to employment, housing, and social benefits, perpetuating cycles of poverty and marginalization. Communities affected by the War on Drugs experience poorer health outcomes, in part due to reduced access to healthcare, stigma, and discrimination within medical settings. Where past federal and state drug policies have led to: the mass incarceration of people of color, decreased access to social services, loss of educational attainment due to diminished federal financial aid eligibility, prohibitions on the use of public housing and other public assistance, as well as the separation of families, the CalCRG program aims to advance health, wellness and economic justice for these populations and communities.
