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Denver Social Impact Plan - We Can Help!


Attention Current and Prospective Denver Marijuana Business Owners! New Application Requirements - We Can Help!


Per Denver’s newly adopted regulations surrounding social equity, new business applicants and renewal applications alike must now include a completed Social Impact Plan for every licensee of every license type, both medical and retail. The form includes a number of new narrative questions and requests new demographic information about the neighborhoods surrounding your facility. Because this is the first round of applications where this information is required, many (especially renewal applicants) may be surprised by the extra research involved and the amount of time it may take to develop a workable plan and properly prepare the form.


For example, applicants must list the name and contact information of all registered neighborhood organizations whose boundaries encompass the location of the licensed premises and a plan for engaging with each of them. On the form, applicants must also include detailed plans and goals with measurable milestones for:

  • directing and responding to questions from members of the community;

  • promoting diversity and inclusion in hiring and employment;

  • sustainability practices;

  • fostering participation in the regulated marijuana industry by people from communities that have been disproportionately harmed by marijuana prohibition and enforcement; and

  • any additional social impact efforts.


Finally, applicants must explain how this social impact plan can be made available to the public in accordance with Section 6-280(g) of the Denver Revised Municipal Code.


RZA Legal has developed a system to assist you in developing your compliant Social Impact Plan to ensure your application is not rejected for being incomplete! We have studied cannabis social equity programs across the country and have suggestions for best practices to aid you in developing an effective social equity policy for your business.


As always, we are happy to answer your questions and assist you through the entire cannabis licensing application process, as well as helping you prepare an effective and compliant Social Impact Plan. Schedule a consultation by clicking here.



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After serving in-house, Brian moved into consulting, where he helped develop one of the nation’s first industry-specific liability insurance policies for a nationwide carrier. He later advised clients on competitive licensing applications and regulatory strategy across multiple jurisdictions, counseling on legislative, regulatory, and public policy matters. Brian joined RZA Legal in 2020, where he represents Colorado businesses and property owners throughout the full lifecycle of their operations and investments. His practice includes real estate acquisitions and dispositions, commercial leasing, land use and zoning matters, entity structuring and financing, contract negotiation, regulatory compliance, employment matters, and state and local government representation. He regularly works with mountain community clients navigating complex local regulations affecting development, use, and operation of real property. Brian also assists municipalities with drafting and revising ordinances governing regulated business activity, balancing operational realities, community priorities, and legal risk. Brian is active in legal scholarship and education. He has published in the University of Virginia Journal of Social Policy & the Law and the Pepperdine Law Review, written on regulatory reform for the Cannabis Industry Journal, and previously served as an adjunct professor of law at the University of Wyoming. Before practicing in Colorado, Brian worked in New York City in private practice and clerked for a judge on the U.S. Court of International Trade. Brian lives in Grand Lake, Colorado, with his wife and has volunteered as a first responder with Grand County Mountain Rescue and Rocky Mountain National Park Rescue since 2015. Outside of work, he enjoys backcountry skiing, playing old-time rock ’n’ roll, and spending time with family in New Jersey. Brian is licensed to practice law in Colorado, New Jersey, and New York. Optional closing sentence: You don’t have to navigate an evolving regulatory and real estate landscape alone—RZA Legal is prepared to guide you at every stage.

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© 2017-2025 by Rachael Z. Ardanuy, Attorney at Law, P.C.

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