New York Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes (D) from NYC is launching an equity-focused political action committee (PAC), an organization that pools campaign contributions from members and donates those funds to campaigns for ballot initiatives, that will place a strong focus on electing candidates that support marijuana reform.
Peoples-Stokes announced the EquityPAC earlier this week. The committee is centered on three policy pillars: cannabis, education, and the environment.
According to the PAC site, the initiative will support the development of programs established to help those with criminal records erase them to allow for a fresh start as well as assisting in the allocation of licenses to minority-owned dispensaries “in this new and lucrative niche.”
“In order for New York state to fulfill its promise as a beacon of progress in a deeply divided country, equity must be our bedrock,” Peoples-Stokes told Marijuana Moment. “Cannabis equity is central to EquityPAC because as an emerging industry, we have the opportunity to make it equitable from its beginnings in New York.
“This PAC will support candidates, issues, and legislation that allows individuals and communities most harmed by cannabis prohibition to gain the most in New York’s cannabis industry,” Peoples-Stokes added.
Image By Ilona Szentivanyi.
