Recreational marijuana is big business in Connecticut. Now, some of that money is going back to neighborhoods that need it.

The state’s Social Equity Council is about to distribute tens of millions of dollars in cannabis proceeds to areas impacted by the War on Drugs.

Community groups say the investments could pay big dividends.

The money could have a major impact on students – and taxpayers.

“It’s a huge deal for parents,” said AnaVivian Escalante, CEO of the nonprofit Norwalk ACTS.

Escalante’s group uses detailed data sets to craft a personalized plan for success for Norwalk students. It saves money by targeting families with the services they need – and not duplicating the ones they don’t.

“It’s looking at it collectively – a child’s life, a family’s life – and saying, ‘It isn’t just a school. It isn’t just the city,’” she said. “How do we make sure we’re screening the kids in our neighborhoods to make sure they’re developing correctly?”

Thanks to Connecticut’s budding cannabis industry, Norwalk ACTS could get a share of $36 million. Groups can apply for up to $300,000, spread over three years, from the Reimagine & Revitalize Program.

“Re-entry – those coming home from Department of Corrections – youth mentoring type programs and infrastructure," said Social Equity Council CEO Brandon McGee. “We're calling it More Than Funding Tour.”

As a state lawmaker, McGee helped legalize cannabis sales in 2021. Lawmakers created the Social Equity Council to make sure neighborhoods that were negatively impacted by marijuana arrests benefited from the new cannabis industry.

“If we’re going to pass and legalize recreational cannabis, we have to have a form of reparation,” McGee said. “And guess what. That’s in the form of the Social Equity Council.”

But the Social Equity Council had a rough start.

Some discounted dispensary licenses went to applicants backed by wealthy out-of-state companies. Some backers paid tens of thousands of dollars to flood the license lottery with applications, shutting out everyday entrepreneurs.

“They got a head start before everybody else,” Luis Vega, of Nautilus Botanicals in Shelton, told News 12 Connecticut in 2023. “If we want to talk about fair, my business is not on the shelves today. With the first day of sales, it’s going to be a record number of sales.”

McGee, who took over in 2024, acknowledged early missteps.

“It was almost to the point where it was like, ‘Should we even have a Social Equity Council? What is this about?’” he said. “There were some instances where there were individuals that were just a front, right? But there were more individuals who are not just a front; they understand, and understood at the time, that they own 50% of the business.”

Escalante said this new round of funding is a chance to get back on track. She said it could launch a new job training program for teens.

“How do we create the pipelines to the unionized work – the carpentry, HVAC, plumbing, electricians?” she said.

Organizations have until July 15 to apply for the Social Equity Council R2 Program.

Click HERE for more information.