Following a presentation by the Michigan Cannabis Regulatory Agency before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Licensing and Regulatory Affairs and Insurance and Financial Services, Chair Beson raised concerns regarding the effectiveness of its Social Equity Grant Program.

Beson questioned agency officials on the failure rate of businesses receiving these grants and whether the program is achieving measurable outcomes.

“These programs are funded with taxpayer dollars, and we have a responsibility to make sure that investment is actually working,” said Beson (R-Bay City). “If businesses are still struggling or closing after receiving state support, we need to take a closer look at what’s going wrong.”

Beson emphasized that while helping individuals start successful businesses is a worthy goal, the state must ensure its approach is delivering meaningful results.

“It’s not enough to simply award grants and hope for the best,” Beson said. “We need to track success rates and see whether these dollars are actually accomplishing their intended purpose.”

Beson noted that continued oversight will be critical to ensuring accountability, eliminating waste, and improving program performance moving forward.

“As lawmakers, we owe it to taxpayers to get this right,” Beson said. “That means asking tough questions, demanding transparency, and making sure these dollars aren’t being wasted on programs that aren’t delivering results.”