Pre-emptive prohibition

What’s with all of these new cultivation bans popping up all over the place?

—Russ Tick

You can thank the state Legislature for this. In the zeal to pass some sort of statewide comprehensive medical cannabis regulations last year, it somehow overlooked a provision stating that if cities and counties didn’t have their own laws in place by March 1, the state would assume control. So now we have a flurry of bans, and not just for growing pot. Cities are banning all sorts of cannabis business, from storefronts to delivery services.

This is ridiculous and an affront to the people who need cannabis as a medicine. These bans will also place an undue burden on cities and counties that allow cannabis businesses. The Legislature has already started to address this issue, but it may be too late. Your best bet is to find out when your city council is meeting and go talk to them about their fear and shenanigans. Be polite. There is a group page on the Facebook (www.facebook.com/groups/
calicityandcountybanwatch) that has up-to-date listings for just about every city and county in the state.

I am fundamentally opposed to allowing cities and counties to ban legal cannabis businesses. Cities can’t ban bars or liquor stores or strip clubs. Marijuana is safer than just about anything in the world, so why do cities insist on treating it like a scourge or plague? Banning weed doesn’t make weed disappear, just like keeping homeless people from begging does nothing to eliminate homelessness. Prohibition is never the answer. I hope this new Adult Use of Marijuana Act will do something to address this—and it looks like Facebook billionaire Sean Parker’s initiative will at least make the ballot seeing as he just put up $750,000 to start getting signatures—but it probably won’t. California is not Texas. We don’t need “dry” counties. We need statewide access to medical marijuana.

If you’re interested in getting involved, there are a few things on the calendar: On January 19, the California Cannabis Industry Association will hold a roundtable panel discussion about these new rules and proposals at the Crest Theatre before heading over to the state Capitol for a joint public hearing for multiple Assembly committees, where attendees will see an informational presentation called “Medical Marijuana Regulation: The Plan for Statewide Implementation.” Later that night, there will be a benefit concert featuring the Sons of Champlin. The discussion and the meeting are free, and you can get tickets for the concert here: www.calheritage.com/events.

Next month, the International Cannabis Business Conference returns to San Francisco on February 13 and 14. Andrew Sullivan, Tommy Chong, Jessica Billingsley and just about every ganjaprenuer ever will be at this event. Full disclosure: I will be the emcee for this event, but that just means it will be more entertaining. Find more information at http://internationalcbc.com.