COMMENT
Title: Sober up, Weedmaps. Refusing to follow California’s cannabis laws is bad for business
Author: Sacramento Bee
Date: 14 March 2018
URL: http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/editorials/article205087319.html#storylink=cpy
Extract:
The unlicensed cannabis delivery drivers who pay hundreds and even thousands of dollars to post advertisements on the Weedmaps website are technically “third parties,” the company argues, and as an “interactive computer service” that’s covered by the federal Communications Decency Act, Weedmaps can’t be held liable.
This is the same specious argument that Facebook and Twitter use to avoid being held responsible for content on their websites, one that the courts eventually will sort out.
Meanwhile, Weedmaps is brazenly going even further.
In their letter to Ajax, Francis and Beals complained about how hard it has been for pot businesses to get licensed. “Native California licensees,” they wrote, “operate under a regulatory landscape that is so blurry it stifles investment.”
While they certainly have a point about barriers to entry, from high start-up costs to the complex regulatory framework to the numerous cities and counties that have refused to opt in, they have some nerve complaining about the regulations now.
Weedmaps was intimately involved with Proposition 64 during the planning stages. It’s disingenuous to point out the ballot initiative’s flaws now that it’s law, instead of when the company had ample opportunity to do so before voters went to the polls in November 2016.
Title: Green Crack, Blue Dream, Gorilla Glue: The problem of pricing pot
Author: Reuters
Date: 15 March 2018
Extract:
New Leaf makes money from about 350 pot proprietors and other subscribers who buy reports and custom analytics. It has raised money from investors who want exposure to the cannabis sector without the risk of breaking federal law.
The model is roughly based on S&P Global Platts, a firm where Rubin once worked that researches and publishes wholesale prices for crude oil, fuel and other commodities such as metals or agricultural crops.
The task is much harder for pot, and New Leaf’s experience stalking prices sheds light on the murky trade of what might be the fastest-growing U.S. commodity, sold legally and illegally for untold billions of dollars.
GENERAL
Title: California Cannabis Finds a Market in Mexico
Author: Voice of San Diego
Date: 12 March 2018
URL: https://www.voiceofsandiego.org/topics/government/california-cannabis-finds-market-mexico/
Extract: Middle-class Mexicans and Americans living in Tijuana are buying legal pot in California and taking it back to Mexico. The culture of legalization, slowly but surely, may be spreading south of the border now, too.
CALIFORNIA CANNABIS CPA UPDATES
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The City of Carson is accepting commercial cannabis center applications until April 19, 2018. The following licenses are currently available:
Read our guide to filing a Carson cannabis license application: City of Carson Commercial Cannabis Applications are OPEN! Santa Ana updated their zoning ordinances for commercial cannabis retailers, and announced updates to their licensing application process. Read more before filling out an application to sell cannabis in Santa Ana: Santa Ana Phase II Cannabis Licensing Updates – Here’s What You Need to Know |
Read a full summary of all Califonia Cannabis updates here: Can’t-Miss Updates from Avalon, Sebastopol, Paso Robles, Santa Ana and Carson City! |
HUMBOLDT
Title: Humboldt Supervisors Consider New Cannabis Ordinance One ordinance to rule them all, and a very large elephant in the room
Author: North Coast Jnl
Date: 15 March 2018
Extract: So much has transpired since Humboldt County passed its groundbreaking Commercial Medical Marijuana Land Use Ordinance — passage of state medical cannabis regulations, statewide recreational legalization and the creation of a new regulatory framework for both industries — that it can be easy to forget it happened just two years ago.
“It’s like from 1932 in cannabis years,” says Humboldt County Growers Alliance Executive Director Terra Carver. “It’s just so dated.”
On March 19, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors is slated to consider version 2.0, a new commercial land use ordinance that will repeal and replace much of the prior framework. The new ordinance, which is drawing praise from environmental groups and cultivators alike, contains a host of changes aimed at clarifying regulations and bringing them in-line with state rules, mitigating some unintended consequences of the old ordinance and, potentially, giving local farmers an opportunity to capitalize on canna-tourism.
“I’m really proud of this second ordinance because it encapsulates conversations on both the state and local levels,” says Carver, noting it’s the product of a long string of public meetings. “I really respect the public process that’s been going on with this ordinance.”
MENDOCINO
Title: Moreo out, Overton oversees Mendocino County cannabis regulation program
Author: Daily Jnl Local News
Date: 15 March 2018
Extract:
According to Mendocino County officials, the county’s new agricultural commissioner Joe Moreo resigned on March 5 after only five days on the job.
While Moreo had previously worked as agricultural commissioner for Modoc County, officials stated he exited after finding out the position was not what he anticipated when he took the job. Reports indicate that he thought he was going to be more in charge of implementing the county’s cannabis programs.
Meanwhile, county cannabis program director Kelly Overton had been on the job for a week (after being hired officially Feb. 28) when he presented the Board of Supervisors an overview of the cannabis program Tuesday.
Overton said the county has received 847 applications for cannabis cultivation; 148 of the 847 applications (17.5 percent) have come to a conclusion, 87 permits have been issued and 25 have been approved.
“The majority of these, this has happened in the last few days,” he said. “We’ve approved permits, we’ve sent the email, contacted the applicants and let them know they can come in. So these are basically pending issue.”
OCEANSIDE
Title: Commission supports legal medical marijuana for Oceanside
Author: San Diego Tribune
Date: 13 March 2018
Extract:
An Oceanside ordinance that would allow the cultivation, manufacture and sale of medical marijuana received an enthusiastic and unanimous endorsement this week from the city’s Planning Commission.
Several commissioners even suggested taking the proposal further, by allowing larger areas for nurseries and more dispensaries where medical cannabis and related products could be sold to the public. They also pointed out that many residents support the use of recreational marijuana, which is not allowed under the proposal.
“This is a good start, with this ordinance,” said Commissioner Kyle Krahel-Frolander, but added, “I would like to see a more bold and forward-thinking approach.”
SAN FRANCISCO
Title: Pot tourists can smoke it where they buy it in San Francisco
Author: KTSM
Date: 15 March 2017
URL: http://www.ktsm.com/news/san-francisco-one-of-few-us-cities-with-marijuana-lounges/1046714672
Extract:
Unsurprisingly, San Francisco is the trailblazer. It’s the only city in the state to fully embrace Amsterdam-like coffee shops, the iconic tourist stops in the Netherlands where people can buy and smoke marijuana in the same shop.
San Francisco’s marijuana “czar” Nicole Elliot said new permits will be issued once city health officials finalize regulations designed to protect workers from secondhand smoke and the neighborhood from unwelcomed odors. The lounges are required to install expensive heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems to prevent the distinct marijuana odor from leaking outside.
Other California cities are warming to the idea.
The city of West Hollywood has approved plans to issue up to eight licenses; the tiny San Francisco Bay Area town of Alameda said it will allow two; and Oakland and South Lake Tahoe each have one lounge. Sacramento, Los Angeles and other cities are discussing the issue but have not authorized any lounges.
