342.17 SOCIAL EQUITY APPLICANTS.

(a) An applicant qualifies as a social equity applicant if the applicant:

(1) was convicted of an offense involving the possession or sale of cannabis or marijuana prior to May 1, 2023;

(2) had a parent, guardian, child, spouse, or dependent who was convicted of an offense involving the possession or sale of cannabis or marijuana prior to May 1, 2023;

(3) was a dependent of an individual who was convicted of an offense involving the possession or sale of cannabis or marijuana prior to May 1, 2023;

(4) is a service-disabled veteran, current or former member of the national guard, or any military veteran or current or former member of the national guard who lost honorable status due to an offense involving the possession or sale of marijuana;

(5) has been a resident for the last five years of one or more subareas, such as census tracts or neighborhoods, that experienced a disproportionately large amount of cannabis enforcement as determined by the study conducted by the office pursuant to section 342.04, paragraph (b), and reported in the preliminary report, final report, or both;

(6) is an emerging farmer as defined in section 17.055, subdivision 1; or

(7) has been a resident for the last five years of one or more census tracts where, as reported in the most recently completed decennial census published by the United States Bureau of the Census, either:

(i) the poverty rate was 20 percent or more; or

(ii) the median family income did not exceed 80 percent of statewide median family income or, if in a metropolitan area, did not exceed the greater of 80 percent of the statewide median family income or 80 percent of the median family income for that metropolitan area.

(b) The qualifications described in paragraph (a) apply to each individual applicant or, in the case of a business entity, every cooperative member or director, manager, and general partner of the business entity.