SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — San Francisco officials have approved a new Office of Cannabis in advance of recreational marijuana sales starting in California next year.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday also directed the new office to analyze disparities that keep certain minority groups out of the cannabis business.

[related_articles location=”left” show_article_date=”false” article_type=”automatic-primary-section” curated_ids=””]Its other task is to make recommendations on how to keep medical marijuana affordable

Board President London Breed suggested San Francisco follow in the steps of Oakland, California, where lawmakers established a cannabis equity program this year.

The program sets aside half of business licenses to city residents who have been arrested on a cannabis crime or who live in neighborhoods with historically high numbers of marijuana arrests.

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