A proposed law would give $125 million in pot tax revenue to nonprofits who help people with past marijuana-related arrests and convictions.
Gov. Jay Inslee backs the proposal to create a Community Reinvestment Act. It’s sponsored by several legislators, including Rep. Melanie Morgan.
“We’re addressing the mistakes of the past, and investing in people who want to have a better life and in communities that have been held back far too long,” Morgan, D-Pierce County, told fellow representatives during a committee hearing in January.
Morgan said the funds would be used in four areas: economic development, civil and criminal legal assistance, community-based violence intervention and prevention, and re-entry services for those with past pot-related convictions.
”It’s coming from righting the wrongs that were perpetuated against black and brown people with the ‘War on Drugs,’” said Morgan.
Sing, a refugee from Cambodia, said members of her community need help from the government, especially those who paid their debt after breaking a law that has since been changed.
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