San Diego officials say they want to double the number of cannabis dispensaries allowed in the city and expand the kinds of neighborhoods where they can operate from light-industrial areas to tourist and entertainment areas near mass transit.
There are several eligibility criteria, but the primary requirement is that a person must have been convicted of a cannabis crime, or had a family member convicted of one, after 1993. The proposal would also waive permit fees for equity applicants and eliminate a requirement that they secure a property before being awarded a permit.
Groups opposed to cannabis legalization spoke against the proposal Wednesday when it was presented to the City Council’s economic development committee. “We simply caution that this going to be difficult and require resources, and that there are going to be economic forces that are going to be a challenge as we move forward,” said Phil Rath, executive director of the United Medical Marijuana Coalition.In an effort to keep marijuana businesses in the backcountry competitive, supervisors set their cannabis sales tax rate at 2 percent.
Giving felons access to drugs and cash with our tax money. What could go wrong?