Customers at a cannabis dispensary may soon be able to purchase flower and walk a few feet to an on-site lounge to refresh themselves.
The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday directed Cannabis Division officials to develop an ordinance to allow these types of on-site lounges. The regulator is scheduled to take its first vote on the new rules on December 10th. If passed, there would be a second vote, likely in January, and lounges would be legalized 30 days later.
Among the many requirements associated with this transition, dispensaries that want to offer a lounge experience must install specific heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems in order to receive a permit. Sam Lofoti, the county's cannabis division manager, said the HVAC system creates an environment with “almost no perceptible smoke.” As soon as it comes out of you, smoke rises from the air. ”
The new law is part of local cannabis legislation that Supervisors Manu Koenig and Felipe Hernandez are working to create opportunities for agritourism and position Santa Cruz County as the wine capital of Napa. It was enacted nearly a year after the “Public Act'' proposed a number of changes.
Another major proposal discussed Tuesday would allow cannabis growers to open their operations to tours, consumption and sales. Current law prohibits cannabis growers from selling directly to consumers. Dispensary owners, concerned that allowing on-farm sales would put a squeeze on retail businesses, proposed limiting on-farm sales to one-eighth of an ounce per customer per day. did. Supervisors agreed.
But Loforti said the change deals with a land use change and would require input from the county planning commission and an analysis of the California Environmental Quality Act, so it would be a “much longer” road to approval. He said that could take several months to a year.
Koenig, Hernandez and Supervisor Justin Cummings supported moving forward with both proposals, while outgoing Supervisors Bruce McPherson and Zach Friend voted against them. McPherson said he remains concerned about how opening up cannabis consumption will affect public safety, particularly drunk driving. Mr Friend said he was concerned that allowing some pharmacies to open lounges would give them an unfair competitive advantage. He was also hesitant to support such a drastic land use change on the farm.
County officials are scheduled to return to the supervisors' desk on Dec. 10 for the first reading of the cannabis lounge ordinance. Changes to farm tours and sales regulations are expected to resume in early 2025.
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