Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.
The Cannabis Reinvestment and Restoration Board held a community town hall on October 7, 2026, in Councilmember Timothy J. Adams' District 4 to present the fund's status and gather community input on spending priorities. The fund, fueled by 35% of the 12% cannabis sales tax, currently holds approximately $12 million and is non-lapsing. Board members emphasized that the money is intended to repair harm from past cannabis enforcement, with 18 Prince George's County zip codes designated as 150% disproportionately impacted. The board aims to open an application portal in 4–6 months.
Well, good evening, everyone. I'd like to welcome you here this evening for the cannabis reinvestment and restoration board community town hall. My name is Timothy J. Adams. I am the council member representing District Four. I'd like to thank the community, but also the board for being here to help informents and answer any questions. One of the things that is key when I talked about even commandboard, and that's you have been trying to do. It's about information, it's about listening and hearing what the community wants. So this gives us a chance to get feedback. What does a community see? What are the concerns? So I I just want to say thank you for being here. Uh I will let you take over your your town hall. Uh but first I'd like to introduce Ms. Crystal Carpenter, who is the chair of the cannabis reinvestment and restoration uh board, and say welcome to you and the other board members, and I'll let you introduce them as you go. But again, thank you and thank you for being here to to make sure the people are heard because that's what we do. Okay, thank you. Thank you. Thank you for that warm introduction, Councilmember Adams, and thank you for hosting a town hall in your community. Um again, my name is Crystal Carpenter. I have the honor and pleasure of serving as the chair of the cannabis reinvestment and restoration board. We're aboard it just started in March of 2026. So to be having town halls this early is an exciting thing, and I hope it shows our commitment to community and hearing community voices. Um joined here today with two of our board members. We are supposed to be a 13 member board. We are we have some vacancies open. We'll tell you a little bit more about that throughout our conversation. But I'm gonna do a welcoming and then my team members or extinct colleagues will do their introduction and uh and share additional information about the board. So I just want to say good evening to everyone and thank you for being here. Um the Prince George's County Cannabis Reinvestment and Restoration Board was created to help guide how cannabis reinvestment funds are used here in our county. Currently we're sitting at about 12 million dollars. Um and at its core, this is about the is about the reinvestment in our communities, particularly communities that have experienced the greatest impact from past cannabis enforcement and the broader war on drugs. And that is why we're here tonight. Our board does not want to make decisions about community investment without hearing directly from the community. You know your neighborhoods, you know what is working, you know what is missing, and where additional resources could make a meaningful difference. Our job tonight is to listen. The fund represents an important opportunity for Prince George's County, and importantly, this is a growing fund. So it's non-lapsing as well. That means the decisions and structures we put in place now have the potential to shape millions of dollars in community investment over the years ahead. So tonight we want to hear your ideas, your priorities, and even your concerns.