Careful Consideration

[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]C[/dropcap]annabis licensing was up for discussion at the city of Escondido’s town hall meeting on Oct. 3. Half of the meeting consisted of Escondido Mayor Sam Abed recapping the positive changes and happenings of the city over the last few months. The one-hour meeting then turned the discussion to cannabis.

Edward Wicker, local attorney and owner of Wicker Law Group, introduced cannabis licensing as a topic of discussion during the meeting. Wicker Law Group has two San Diego-based offices, one of which is located in Escondido and the other in Rancho Bernardo. Wicker has been practicing cannabis business law since 2012 and is also a member and leader of San Diego NORML, a local group dedicated to reforming cannabis laws in San Diego.

“I’d like to open up dialogue with you. I have lots of resources,” Wicker stated at the meeting. “I understand you’re not going to make permits available next week.” Back in February, Escondido City Council voted to ban medical cannabis dispensaries in the city. Wicker noted that local approval was still be needed in order for cannabis businesses to operate under Proposition 64, which was passed in California two years ago, in November 2016. Escondido voters supported Prop. 64 with a 52.1 percent vote in favor.

“I thought it was an opportunity to engage with the mayor, and I’m concerned about the city’s reluctance to provide a path forward for cannabis businesses when the view in favor is clearly in the majority, and the mayor is obstructing the will of the majority.”

Mayor Sam Abed responded to Wicker, sharing that while he is currently committed to keeping cannabis businesses out of Escondido for now, the discussion about medical cannabis licensing could start happening as early as next year or so. He also noted that he would like to see recreational cannabis licensing remain banned throughout his tenure as mayor, because he doesn’t like the recreational industry’s reputation, and he fears recreational cannabis poses a risk to San Diego youth.

“When Proposition 64 passed, I bet you if you voted for it, they did not tell you that we have to get dispensaries, we have to get things next to our schools, next to our public facilities,” Abed said. “Nobody knew that. They only told them, ‘You know, if we’re going to pass this, we’re going to allow the creation of marijuana.’” Abel expressed his fear of cannabis business zoning in Escondido, although Prop. 64 does allow for local jurisdictions to determine zoning requirements and buffer zones, which do not allow cannabis businesses to operate within at least 600 or more feet of schools, daycares and other sensitive facilities.

Although Abed stated that he would be open to discussing medical cannabis licensing as early as next year, Wicker was not optimistic about this discussion happening in the future, as he shared with an interview with The Coast News. “I thought it was an opportunity to engage with the mayor, and I’m concerned about the city’s reluctance to provide a path forward for cannabis businesses when the view in favor is clearly in the majority, and the mayor is obstructing the will of the majority,” said Wicker.

Wicker remains dedicated to this cause, as he knows that cannabis prohibition will continue to fail, just like prohibition did with alcohol and just like it has with cannabis in the past.