The paper was accompied by the follwing statement on Linked In
The Sonoma Valley Cannabis Group sent its position paper to Governor Newsom, Mike McGuire, Robert Rivas, Nicole Elliott, and others.
It went out as hard copy/snail mail and email, both. I tailored at least a dozen variations of the pitch to 140 cannabis organizations, associations, veterans, doctors, lawyers and Indian chiefs for a total of 55 signatories. That’s a 39% close-rate for warm leads, a rarity in marketing.
The cannabis industry is fraught with over-regulation and taxes. The system is dysfunctional, broken. More power to anyone willing to rail against the powers who put and hold 64 in place, or shout at the unions, or sue municipalities for alleged corruption, or point fingers at who they think is at fault for this mess – pick your poison.
Who in this state has put together a similar petition regarding cannabis retail’s footprint? I doubt anyone.
Maybe this position paper is just another straw on the camel’s back, and maybe it seems a bit self-serving to some. Could someone else have written it better? Sure. But no one did.
We all do what we can and we just think that everyone, from legacy cultivators to manufacturers and retailers, to equity candidates, to consumers **and to the patients, thank you very much**, deserve a fair shake.
What has the Cannabis Business Association of Sonoma County done lately?
How about the Sonoma Valley Cannabis Enthusiasts, what are they accomplishing?
Maybe not much – look them up and the message is “We are having trouble finding that site.”
Who was the founding member of those organizations? (hint: Erich Pearson of SPARC
Number of hours spent on task – countless. Payment received – none. Contrary to what Erich Pearson might have people believe, no one from the Sonoma Valley Cannabis Group, including myself, has ever received any money from any outside source. Period.
The RFP for a second dispensary in the CITY OF SONOMA has to be issued. Despite the state of the industry, it is very clear there will be a substantial number of parties interested in applying.
We’ll have another video installment regarding the case of cannabis access in the city of Sonoma soon.
Best Regards,
Sonoma Valley Cannabis Group, Policy Committee:
Gil Latimer
Josette Brose-Eichar
David Eichar
Van Solkov
Perri Ellis Panaigua
Len Clayburg
Richard Silver
(The Sonoma Valley Cannabis Group is an unincorporated nonprofit association formed for the public benefit. It was founded on July 16, 2017 and is the oldest continuously operating cannabis advocacy organization in the valley. It currently has over 200 members. SVCG’s mission has been to assist the city of Sonoma develop compassionate cannabis policy that ensures safe, legal access to medicinal and recreational cannabis for the residents of Sonoma and the Sonoma Valley.)
