The Los Angeles Department of Cannabis Regulation (DCR) is looking into ways to speed up its licensing process after the third phase of licensing for the city’s Social Equity Program stalled last year when a computer glitch affected the application process, according to a Los Angeles Daily News report.
The Social Equity Program, which aims to give low-income residents and people formerly incarcerated for cannabis-related crimes a chance to operate cannabis dispensaries in the city, is set to resume after an audit of the licensing process is completed, the news outlet reported.
Los Angeles launched its third licensing round for the Social Equity Program last fall to issue 100 additional retail licenses. The city received roughly 800 total applications, but a technical glitch caused some applicants to gain early access to the system, which prompted Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson to call for the suspension of the licensing process.
The DCR announced in November that the agency would pursue a third-party audit of the process, and that it would not issue final cannabis dispensary licenses until the review is completed.
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In the meantime, DCR leaders have asked the agency’s staff to recommend ways to expedite the licensing process once the audit is finalized, Los Angeles Daily News reported.
The commission voted March 5 to request that the Los Angeles City Council begin issuing temporary license approvals for those who applied during the third round of Social Equity Program licensing, according to an NBC Los Angeles report.