Legal Hope on the Horizon

Since Bakersfield banned cannabis collectives in 2004 there has been an everlasting battle to keep such establishments out of the city—but collectives keep popping up, preventing officials from getting their way. To help the city and the collectives within it from fighting any further, local attorney Phil Ganong has proposed an initiative titled Medical Cannabis Initiative that would legalize and regulate medical cannabis collectives in Bakersfield once and for all. Finally, action is being taken by those who support cannabis and hope to create a safe and regulated market within the city.

With the initiative, Ganong hopes to replace Bakersfield’s ban with regulations set forth in the Medical Marijuana Regulations and Safety Act (MMRSA), a state law created to promote a more stringent and safe medical cannabis market. “It gives the city the framework to implement regulation, and it will help us to get rid of the illegal drug trafficking that has sprung up all over town,” Ganong said about the initiative. “Current prohibition has done nothing except foster the environment for illegal activities,” stated Ganong. According to Deputy City Attorney Richard Iger, the initiative will require the city to issue local licenses to cannabis collectives which will then qualify the businesses to obtain a state license.

“Current prohibition has done nothing except foster the environment for illegal activities.”

Currently, supporters of the initiative are collecting signatures to get the measure on the ballot for November elections. According to Bakersfield Now, advocates will have to gather 15,400 signatures by the end of this month but plan on presenting the city with 20,000 as they are confident that they will receive support from the city’s residents.

Iger stated that if residents decide that they want to legalize medical cannabis in Bakersfield his office would have to conduct an impartial analysis of the initiative.

This is a surprising change of events cannabis advocates in Bakersfield have been rather dormant when it comes to taking action and finding a solution that sits well with city officials. If approved the initiative will not only create an effective medical cannabis market, it will help bring the city an estimated $500,000 to $1 million in sales tax revenue. It will also give the city’s medical cannabis patients a convenient way to legally obtain their medicine. Because there is currently a moratorium on medical cannabis collectives in Kern County, the Medical Cannabis Initiative will only apply to collectives located in Bakersfield.