More common sense, less emotion

One of the indicators that a local advisory committee put together solid recommendations on codifying commercial cannabis operations in the city of Chico is that nobody who participated in the effort walked away entirely happy.

Considering the group was composed of stakeholders from a wide cross-section of the city—including representatives from the Chico Chamber of Commerce, Butte County Public Health, the cannabis industry, Chico Unified School District, the Downtown Chico Business Association, the City Council and local laypeople—coming up with the final recommendations required concessions from all involved.

We view that as a good thing.

Some of the main questions for the group included how many retail outlets to allow and where to allow them. The recommendation: one per 25,000 people. That means no more than four dispensaries. In addition, with the zoning restrictions they agreed upon, there will be no dispensaries downtown or near the mall, both places frequented by families with children.

Chico is actually playing catch-up when it comes to commercial cannabis. Such activities have been legal for years in California, especially for medicinal products, and there are plenty of successful examples to draw from. Local governments are allowed to create stricter rules than the state allows, of course, including banning businesses altogether. The cannabis committee took that tack with regard to cultivation, something that we agree belongs more in the county than within city limits.

We’re impressed with Vice Mayor Alex Brown’s execution of a plan to bring a diverse group of stakeholders together to discuss commercial cannabis, a subject that in the past has been highly contentious. We realize there’s still a long way to go, but hope that the courteous and thoughtful discussions that have dominated the past few months are indicative of a more common-sense, less emotional path forward.