INCLUSIVE AND THOROUGH

The San Francisco Cannabis Legalization Task Force will be bringing its recommendations for how to regulate the recreational cannabis market in the city and county of San Francisco. The Task Force is scheduled to share its recommendations with the Board of Supervisors on December 12 at the Land Use and Transportation Committee meeting.

CULTURE was able to connect with the Task Force Chair, Terrance Alan, to discuss the future of cannabis legalization in San Francisco. San Francisco residents are notorious for having an inclusive, liberal and alternative way of life. Alan classified the unique quality of his city to the “San Francisco way.” When it comes to cannabis legalization in San Francisco, the task force took into consideration the relaxed attitude that already exists within the city and county, in addition to making sure no stone was left unturned.

Although the task force started before California voted to allow recreational cannabis, Alan shared how the task force still used Proposition 64 as the potential framework for what adult legalization could look like.

“We’ve talked about public safety, youth access and exposure, tourism and hospitality, social justice and equity, taxation and revenue, licensing, land use, public consumption and how are we going to create agency oversight and accountability.”

Moving a substance from prohibition and into the recreational market is a complicated process, and the task force took upon the task of hammering out every single avenue that would need to be regulated by San Francisco. “We’ve talked about public safety, youth access and exposure, tourism and hospitality, social justice and equity, taxation and revenue, licensing, land use, public consumption and how are we going to create agency oversight and accountability,” Alan stated.

Alan shared how the task force viewed Colorado’s ban on public consumption lounges, aside from the recent victory for Denver. San Francisco already allows consumption lounges in accordance with their medical cannabis program. While consumption lounges are an important way for people to obtain and consume cannabis, Alan explained that allowing consumption lounges means even more than just that.

“Consumption lounges aren’t necessarily just about consuming, they’re about consuming with other people,” Alan stated. “So what does the socialization aspect of cannabis legalization mean short- and long-term to our culture? And that to me is why my heart and soul is in the project.” Alan continued to state how San Francisco has provided many people in the LGBTQ community with socialization opportunities. Now it’s time for them to provide the same to the cannabis community.

“Consumption lounges aren’t necessarily just about consuming, they’re about consuming with other people.”

“By having a consumption lounge, it provides a way for the cannabis community to find its cannabis family and do so in a very public way without shame and do so in what I imagine to be pretty cool places,” Alan stated. “I think it will be a very cool social experiment, and that to me embodies the San Francisco way.”

The task force would also like to see those who have been negatively affected by the war on drugs to have access to programs for job training when they are released, so they can either work in the cannabis industry or go on to become entrepreneurs. The task force also outlined its recommendations for an age appropriate education compliment, among other important topics.

It’s pretty clear that San Francisco’s inclusive and thoughtful approach to legalizing cannabis may set a precedent for other cities and counties in California. Alan finished the interview with a final thought, “Look to San Francisco to provide a progressive, urban template for what cannabis integration will look like in three, five and then 10 years, when it’s almost completely normalized.”