Ron Strider
Well-Known Member
The landscape for legal weed changed swiftly in 2017 as state regulators began to craft rules for where people could buy cannabis and how they'd tax it.
Locally, that climate is set to shift even more next year as local governments continue to adapt to the new laws.
Marijuana will likely be available to about 100,000 residents in Redding and Shasta Lake by possibly midyear. Those outside the two cities face stricter restrictions.
While Proposition 64 legalized recreational marijuana and allowed people to grow up to six plants indoors, it also gave local governments wide authority to ban sales or regulate through zoning laws.
Businesses in cities and counties where commercial pot is outlawed can't get licenses from the state to sell marijuana.
The first licenses have been issued to businesses that will sell recreational cannabis. Here's what you can expect locally in 2018.
Starting Jan. 1, licensed businesses can start selling legal weed. But what you do and not do under the state's new laws? Sean Longoria
Shasta Lake
The city, so far the only place in Shasta County where commercial cannabis activity is legal, remains far ahead of other local jurisdictions in its embrace of the industry.
Shasta Lake has three dispensaries vying to take on recreational customers and two - 530 Cannabis and the Queen of Dragons - already have their licenses. Leave it to Nature, the city's third dispensary, expects to have a license by Jan. 1.
The Bureau of Cannabis Control has issued 100 temporary licenses so far across the state and plans to keep issuing more until permanent licenses are available by the spring.
"We have four months to fully vet all applicants after a temporary license is issued. If everything checks out, an annual license will be issued," BCC Communications Chief Alex Traverso said.
Also, a number of cannabis related businesses are leasing space in the industrial park, including a company that plans to make concentrated cannabis using a non-volatile method.
Redding
By midyear, Redding could join Shasta Lake in allowing commercial cannabis. The City Council earlier in 2017 approved in concept to allow the industry to operate within city limits, though expectations are Redding will heavily regulate it.
"We're hopeful for February," City Manager Barry Tippin said of the city's draft rules for commercial pot. "We'll get through the internal development and we'll hopefully give the public a couple of weeks prior to the council meeting. ... It's going to be a hefty regulatory document."
Like Shasta Lake, Redding will also look to tax commercial cannabis activity. Voters will have to approve a new tax, though, before the city can collect it.
"We'll likely be seeking some direction from the council what the tax initiative should say," Tippin said. "We'll have to have it in place in the summertime to have on the ballot in November."
Shasta County
A potential challenge to the Board of Supervisors' recent ban on commercial pot is now being shelved in favor of carefully crafting rules for the industry to thrive in the unincorporated county.
"It needs to be more of a thought-out, deliberate process than just getting signatures and throwing it on the ballot," said Patrick Gorman, who'd sought a referendum on the decision to ban commercial pot sales outside of Redding, Anderson and Shasta Lake.
Gorman, 39, has said he voted against Proposition 64, which legalized recreational marijuana in California as of Jan. 1, but argues now that it's the law, Shasta County is missing out on a share of the sales tax that the state will collect on the businesses.
"I think this creates a better opportunity than we've had a long time to create our own marketplace not based on what the Bay Area does or what Sacramento does," Gorman said. "This is an opportunity to be independent."
Now, Gorman wants to work with stakeholders and those concerned about the impacts of commercial pot – including supervisors, law enforcement and other county officials – to craft rules to present to the board or possibly put a measure on a future local ballot.
"Maybe it's not a 2018 issue, maybe it's a 2020 issue," Gorman said. "It's going to be slow-going. I'm looking at this as a marathon."
Anderson
Anderson doesn't seem to be letting commercial cannabis inside the city anytime soon. The City Council recently extended its ban on all things commercial pot through much of 2018.
City officials didn't return calls seeking comment whether they expect the ban to continue past the year, though the council would have to approve such a move.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Where to get recreational cannabis in Shasta County in 2018
Author: Sean Longoria
Contact: Help Center - Redding Record Searchlight
Photo Credit: El Monte Police Department
Website: Home | Record Searchlight
Locally, that climate is set to shift even more next year as local governments continue to adapt to the new laws.
Marijuana will likely be available to about 100,000 residents in Redding and Shasta Lake by possibly midyear. Those outside the two cities face stricter restrictions.
While Proposition 64 legalized recreational marijuana and allowed people to grow up to six plants indoors, it also gave local governments wide authority to ban sales or regulate through zoning laws.
Businesses in cities and counties where commercial pot is outlawed can't get licenses from the state to sell marijuana.
The first licenses have been issued to businesses that will sell recreational cannabis. Here's what you can expect locally in 2018.
Starting Jan. 1, licensed businesses can start selling legal weed. But what you do and not do under the state's new laws? Sean Longoria
Shasta Lake
The city, so far the only place in Shasta County where commercial cannabis activity is legal, remains far ahead of other local jurisdictions in its embrace of the industry.
Shasta Lake has three dispensaries vying to take on recreational customers and two - 530 Cannabis and the Queen of Dragons - already have their licenses. Leave it to Nature, the city's third dispensary, expects to have a license by Jan. 1.
The Bureau of Cannabis Control has issued 100 temporary licenses so far across the state and plans to keep issuing more until permanent licenses are available by the spring.
"We have four months to fully vet all applicants after a temporary license is issued. If everything checks out, an annual license will be issued," BCC Communications Chief Alex Traverso said.
Also, a number of cannabis related businesses are leasing space in the industrial park, including a company that plans to make concentrated cannabis using a non-volatile method.
Redding
By midyear, Redding could join Shasta Lake in allowing commercial cannabis. The City Council earlier in 2017 approved in concept to allow the industry to operate within city limits, though expectations are Redding will heavily regulate it.
"We're hopeful for February," City Manager Barry Tippin said of the city's draft rules for commercial pot. "We'll get through the internal development and we'll hopefully give the public a couple of weeks prior to the council meeting. ... It's going to be a hefty regulatory document."
Like Shasta Lake, Redding will also look to tax commercial cannabis activity. Voters will have to approve a new tax, though, before the city can collect it.
"We'll likely be seeking some direction from the council what the tax initiative should say," Tippin said. "We'll have to have it in place in the summertime to have on the ballot in November."
Shasta County
A potential challenge to the Board of Supervisors' recent ban on commercial pot is now being shelved in favor of carefully crafting rules for the industry to thrive in the unincorporated county.
"It needs to be more of a thought-out, deliberate process than just getting signatures and throwing it on the ballot," said Patrick Gorman, who'd sought a referendum on the decision to ban commercial pot sales outside of Redding, Anderson and Shasta Lake.
Gorman, 39, has said he voted against Proposition 64, which legalized recreational marijuana in California as of Jan. 1, but argues now that it's the law, Shasta County is missing out on a share of the sales tax that the state will collect on the businesses.
"I think this creates a better opportunity than we've had a long time to create our own marketplace not based on what the Bay Area does or what Sacramento does," Gorman said. "This is an opportunity to be independent."
Now, Gorman wants to work with stakeholders and those concerned about the impacts of commercial pot – including supervisors, law enforcement and other county officials – to craft rules to present to the board or possibly put a measure on a future local ballot.
"Maybe it's not a 2018 issue, maybe it's a 2020 issue," Gorman said. "It's going to be slow-going. I'm looking at this as a marathon."
Anderson
Anderson doesn't seem to be letting commercial cannabis inside the city anytime soon. The City Council recently extended its ban on all things commercial pot through much of 2018.
City officials didn't return calls seeking comment whether they expect the ban to continue past the year, though the council would have to approve such a move.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Where to get recreational cannabis in Shasta County in 2018
Author: Sean Longoria
Contact: Help Center - Redding Record Searchlight
Photo Credit: El Monte Police Department
Website: Home | Record Searchlight
