Key details await as NY eyes $200M pot business equity fund

Key details await as NY eyes $200M pot business equity fund

FILE - Medical marijuana plants are shown during a media tour of the Curaleaf medical cannabis cultivation and processing facility, Aug. 22, 2019, in Ravena, N.Y. While New York works on launching a legal market for recreational marijuana, some entrepreneurs have jumped into a legal gray area by saying they're not selling pot but giving it away while people buy something else. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — New York is proposing a $200 million fund to help people of color, women and some others start marijuana businesses. It’s an ambitious plan to make the pot industry more equitable. But officials haven’t yet nailed down some components that experts say are crucial to making the investment effective. Gov. Kathy Hochul’s proposal was unveiled last month. It would be among the largest sums any state has committed to try to ensure social equity in the fast-growing legal marijuana business. Would-be equity applicants and advocates are anxious for answers about who would provide private dollars and whether the money would help cover the costs of seeking a license, or come in only afterward.

Photo: FILE – Medical marijuana plants are shown during a media tour of the Curaleaf medical cannabis cultivation and processing facility, Aug. 22, 2019, in Ravena, N.Y. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink, File)