Residency in the United States is No Longer Required to Own a Cannabis Business in Denver.

By Hunter Dublin | August 5, 2022

According to a Westword reporting, Denver's Department of Excise and Licenses said that evidence of U.S. residence is no longer required for running a cannabis company in the city. According to the research, the change results from legislative changes that made immigrants eligible for state and local subsidies.

Excise and Licenses Executive Director Molly Duplechian stated in a statement, "Our immigrant population plays a significant part in our economy." "We are glad to see our state legislators repeal the anti-immigrant restriction, which frequently hampered an immigrant's ability to follow their ambition of starting a business." Starting a company in the Mile High City will no longer be hampered by an individual's immigration status."

Although the statement claims to "open a new era of financial prospects for immigrants," the article claims that operating a liquor, tobacco, or cannabis company may still require "certain sorts" of identification.

The move trails the launch of a new program by the Denver Department of Economic Development and Opportunity (DEDO) to assist cannabis social equity licensees with issues ranging from "funding to regulations to marketing to challenges within the space," according to DEDO Chief of Staff Chelsea Rosty.

The cannabis technical assistance program is a 10-week course that teaches about cannabis history, politics, compliance, and best practices. Applicants must have resided in an "Opportunity Zone" or "disproportionately impacted region" for at least 15 years between 1980 and 2010, had a family member arrested or convicted of a cannabis offense, or suffered civil forfeiture linked to a cannabis arrest, to qualify.

Finally, candidates must have earned less than half of the state's median income the year before applying, according to the KMGH investigation.