The City of Vista is in the beginning stages of developing a local cannabis equity program designed to remove barriers to entry into the legal cannabis industry for individuals and communities that have been impacted by cannabis prohibition and the War on Drugs. In 2023, the City was awarded grant funding from the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) through the Cannabis Equity Grants Program for Local Jurisdictions to conduct a cannabis equity assessment. The purpose of the cannabis equity assessment is to understand how cannabis criminalization has impacted communities in Vista and to develop recommendations and policies to inform the development and implementation of the City’s cannabis equity program.