Ron Strider
Well-Known Member
Cannabis dispensaries won't receive their local approvals until the end of the year, after the Davis City Council agreed to extend the timeline for cannabis businesses at their meeting Tuesday night.
Originally working under a rapid schedule to set a local framework for retail cannabis sales in Davis, city officials now will have an extra two to three months to conduct outreach efforts.
The council instructed staffers to work with UC Davis and the Davis Joint Unified School District before any new ordinances on dispensaries are approved.
The new timeline also makes room for the Davis Planning Commission to vet the city's land-use decisions on cannabis dispensaries and delivery services.
The expedited time schedule initially was chosen to help local cannabis businesses have everything in order to apply for state permits when they become available in January 2018. Councilman Will Arnold declared that the January deadline wasn't the "be all, end all" that he was originally led to believe.
In the meantime, city staffers are immediately opening the pre-application window to get a taste for how many and what types of dispensaries are eyeing Davis.
When it comes to the full-fledged business applications – which the city may begin accepting on Sept. 10 – the council will have the final say on which dispensaries are allowed to open up shop.
"If we get more than four (dispensary applications), we're going to be in a position where we're going to have to rank them. ... We have to be as objective as possible in that ranking," said Mayor Robb Davis.
The council voiced continued support for allowing up to four dispensaries within the city limits.
Other parts of the potential dispensary ordinance – language that would ban dispensaries from locating within 600 feet of a park or school – were dropped.
Dispensaries also may be allowed in downtown Davis, per recommendations from the council. While local laws may prevent dispensaries from opening within 1,000 feet of one another, Mayor Davis suggested that dispensaries in the downtown core be restricted from opening on the same block face.
Other zoning laws may allow dispensaries to open in most land-use zones, except for residential neighborhoods.
The mayor also made a strong case for requiring all dispensaries to post signs that warn international students that consuming cannabis is still illegal under federal law.
"They may not be deported, but at a port of entry, they could be turned back," Davis said.
The council also was warm to the idea of allowing cannabis delivery services within the city limits. Delivery services would be encouraged to have a local brick-and-mortar location, but may not be required to be headquartered in Davis.
Tuesday night marked the council's last meeting before adjourning for a month-long recess. Come late August, though, the council is scheduled to hit the ground running on cannabis policy, as regulatory fees and additional discussions surrounding dispensaries are still pending.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Council extends timeframe for cannabis dispensary laws
Author: Felicia Alvarez
Contact: Contact Us
Photo Credit: Allen J Schaben
Website: Davis Enterprise | Yolo County, California
Originally working under a rapid schedule to set a local framework for retail cannabis sales in Davis, city officials now will have an extra two to three months to conduct outreach efforts.
The council instructed staffers to work with UC Davis and the Davis Joint Unified School District before any new ordinances on dispensaries are approved.
The new timeline also makes room for the Davis Planning Commission to vet the city's land-use decisions on cannabis dispensaries and delivery services.
The expedited time schedule initially was chosen to help local cannabis businesses have everything in order to apply for state permits when they become available in January 2018. Councilman Will Arnold declared that the January deadline wasn't the "be all, end all" that he was originally led to believe.
In the meantime, city staffers are immediately opening the pre-application window to get a taste for how many and what types of dispensaries are eyeing Davis.
When it comes to the full-fledged business applications – which the city may begin accepting on Sept. 10 – the council will have the final say on which dispensaries are allowed to open up shop.
"If we get more than four (dispensary applications), we're going to be in a position where we're going to have to rank them. ... We have to be as objective as possible in that ranking," said Mayor Robb Davis.
The council voiced continued support for allowing up to four dispensaries within the city limits.
Other parts of the potential dispensary ordinance – language that would ban dispensaries from locating within 600 feet of a park or school – were dropped.
Dispensaries also may be allowed in downtown Davis, per recommendations from the council. While local laws may prevent dispensaries from opening within 1,000 feet of one another, Mayor Davis suggested that dispensaries in the downtown core be restricted from opening on the same block face.
Other zoning laws may allow dispensaries to open in most land-use zones, except for residential neighborhoods.
The mayor also made a strong case for requiring all dispensaries to post signs that warn international students that consuming cannabis is still illegal under federal law.
"They may not be deported, but at a port of entry, they could be turned back," Davis said.
The council also was warm to the idea of allowing cannabis delivery services within the city limits. Delivery services would be encouraged to have a local brick-and-mortar location, but may not be required to be headquartered in Davis.
Tuesday night marked the council's last meeting before adjourning for a month-long recess. Come late August, though, the council is scheduled to hit the ground running on cannabis policy, as regulatory fees and additional discussions surrounding dispensaries are still pending.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Council extends timeframe for cannabis dispensary laws
Author: Felicia Alvarez
Contact: Contact Us
Photo Credit: Allen J Schaben
Website: Davis Enterprise | Yolo County, California
