Oakland is taking an early leadership position with respect to a more regulated medical marijuana market in California. According to David Downs:
The City of Oakland is swiftly moving to capitalize on California’s historic, state-level medical marijuana regulations with a vast expansion of The Town’s cannabis industry permits system. The number of permitted dispensaries could double from eight to sixteen, or the cap on dispensary permits could be eliminated entirely.
Oakland also is planning to offer a path to citizenship for its underground medical canna-businesses — a path that would include background checks, and licensing and taxing commercial growers, hash-makers, edibles kitchens, and testing labs.
Last Thursday evening at City Hall, before a room packed with cannabis industry figures, Assistant to the City Administrator Greg Minor presented Oakland’s big bold new pot plan to the Oakland Cannabis Regulatory Commission. The commission has no formal power, but it voted overwhelmingly to forward the city staff’s plan to the full city council with eleven suggested amendments. Chief among them: The commission recommends eliminating the cap on the number of licensed dispensary permits, rather than raising that cap from eight to sixteen, as staff recommended.
The rest of the article discusses potential opposition from existing dispensaries as well as details some potential changes to delivery services. Downs expects the Oakland City Council could implement the new rules by January.
Read David Downs’ “Exclusive: Oakland’s Big New Pot Plan”: http://www.eastbayexpress.com/LegalizationNation/archives/2015/10/19/oaklands-big-new-pot-plan
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