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Cannabis businesses

The Cannabis Cares program is a City and County of Denver initiative. It recognizes cannabis businesses that go above and beyond to make a positive impact.

To qualify for recognition, your business must submit a social impact plan. You can fill out the social impact plane once a year. Marijuana licensees will do so when they are preparing their renewal application. The social impact plan describes how your business will make an impact in five areas:

Diversity and inclusion
Social equity
Sustainability
Community engagement
Contracting with minority-owned businesses

This video includes a step-by-step demonstration of how to fill out the social impact plan. Watch on our YouTube channel.

In each of these areas, when your social impact plan selects 10 or more activities, your business earns a badge for the current year.

You can use your badge to show your values to your customers and employees.

If your business qualifies for three or more badges, you’ll earn a Cannabis Cares Advocate designation.
If your business qualifies for five badges, you’ll earn a Cannabis Cares Champion designation.

To learn more about the activities you can do to qualify for each badge, click on the badge links below.

Picture of Community Engagement badge — Community Engagement badge

How do I apply for a badge?

Current licensees must fill out the social impact plan form with their annual renewal application. Current licensees should fill out the form to reflect the activities the business completed since the last renewal. Ancillary businesses and marijuana licensees outside of Denver can fill out the social impact plan form once a year. This is to reflect the activities they completed in the last year.
If you select 10 or more activities in an area of impact, you qualify for the related Cannabis Cares badge. You can submit activities your business has done besides those listed. But only one "other" activity will count toward the 10 required to earn a badge.
If you have a social equity business license in Denver, you will automatically qualify for the social equity licensee badge.
New license applicants are not eligible for a badge until their first renewal. If a new license applicant is a social equity applicant, they will receive a social equity licensee badge upon licensure.
You could be asked to provide proof that you completed any activity. Be sure to keep records such as receipts, contracts, volunteer hour logs, etc. for each activity.

How can I use my badges?

You can use your badges to show your company’s values to your customers, employees, and the local community.

You can display your badges in your facility, on marketing materials, on packaging, on your website, on T-shirts and other merchandise, and elsewhere.
Any use of your badges must follow state and local laws and regulations. This includes but is not limited to those about advertising, marketing, packaging, labeling.

For guidance on Denver’s marijuana advertising laws, please refer to this advertising guidance(PDF, 181KB).