Ali Jamalian was arrested for cannabis possession as a college student in 1999.
With the help of an equity program designed to empower cannabis entrepreneurs in The City, he opened a successful cannabis manufacturing facility, Sunset Connect, last September.
Formed in 2017 in response to the statewide legalization of recreational marijuana, San Francisco’s Office of Cannabis equity program helps folks who have been negatively impacted by drug criminalization to break into the industry legally.
Earlier this month, the OOC released numbers that showed that all of the 19 cannabis business permits the office has approved since its formation three years ago have been equity applicants.
Meanwhile, at least 752 people have submitted applications to be approved as equity applicants, 195 of which have moved past verification and into the permit approval process, according to the OOC numbers.
San Francisco native Michael Hall, who grew up in the Fillmore housing projects and spent time in jail for cannabis-related offenses, opened Fig & Thistle Apothecary, a Hayes Valley dispensary, with a partner in October.
The people intended to benefit from the equity program are less likely to have the resources needed to begin a business, made even more difficult by San Francisco’s high rents.
“There’s a lot of predatory incubators that are taking advantage of people and it’s because of the way the program was written,” said Reese Benton, owner of Posh Green Collective in Bayview.
OOC was able to offer up to $48,000 for partial equity owners and up to $100,000 for sole equity owners in grants obtained through the state, but budget impacts make it a fluid resource.
He always knew he wanted to start a business in his hometown of San Francisco, and when he learned he met the criteria for the cannabis equity program, he realized he could live out his dream.