Making Progress

On January 9 at 1p.m., the auditorium at La Mesa City Hall was filled to near seating capacity as over 100 residents, current cannabis operators and burgeoning capitalists attended the Measure U proposition workshop. Attendees consisted of well-known cannabis players and some very obvious newcomers who knew very little about the permitting process. This workshop was in response to the recently passed Measure U, titled the “Repeal Ban on Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Initiative,” which allows for the establishment of medical cannabis collectives, cultivation sites and manufacturing centers. For the first time, a medical cannabis business will be able to operate legally in the sleepy City of La Mesa, which is nestled in the middle of San Diego County.

Measure U amends the Municipal Code to repeal the existing cannabis business prohibition and allow for, upon the issuance of a Conditional Use Permit (CUP), medical cannabis collectives, cultivation sites and manufacturing sites. The measure permits collectives in commercial, industrial and manufacturing zones only. The measure also requires that collectives maintain a minimum 1,000-foot separation from licensed childcare centers, playgrounds, schools and other minor-oriented facilities. Most notably, the measure requires the same 1,000-foot separation from other legal collectives.

“Although there are certainly many questions remaining about cannabis regulation under Measure U, the City of La Mesa has done a wonderful job in implementing the ordinance and attempting to make the process as smooth as possible for all of us.”

City staff clearly spent a lot of time and effort in preparing for the day’s workshop but it became apparent that they did not anticipate such a large turnout or foresee the various concerns members of the audience would lobby. Fifteen minutes before the workshop began handouts of the draft applications ran out and a majority of the seats were taken. Later, the question and answer section of the workshop extended the presentation’s 30 minutes and resulted in lengthy debate over critical flaws in the city’s permit process.

The question and answer section of the workshop turned out to be the most informative and important aspect of this workshop. Although Measure U lays out an application process, zoning procedure and other requirements, there are still many details that need to be hammered out. One of the largest concerns brought up was how the city would determine which applications would be processed first and consequently granted a permit. To any potential collective owner this was a vital question. Measure U requires a specific distance from any other established collective. This means that the first collective to be approved would shape the map of La Mesa collectives and affect nearly every other applicant. It quickly became evident that the city did not necessarily foresee that applicants might begin to camp out and start forming a line, immediately following the meeting.

Some other concerns attendees brought up covered hazy and unclear aspects of Measure U and resulting city policy. For example, on its face, Measure U does not prohibit cultivation and manufacturing from occurring on the same property. However, city staff stated such dual permit locations were not permitted. Given the plethora of questions, the lead moderator of the workshop stated the application release and acceptance date may be pushed back to review these concerns and make accommodations accordingly.

On Tuesday morning a surprise email went out resulting in a suspension of the official application release and acceptance date of submissions until January 30, instead of the initial January 12 date. This email also addressed the collective first-come, first-serve quandary by creating a deli counter style line number system beginning immediately until January 12. Whoever received that surprise Tuesday email and garnered a number one ticket number for the application process now holds a proverbial golden ticket.

Although there are certainly many questions remaining about cannabis regulation under Measure U, the City of La Mesa has done a wonderful job in implementing the ordinance and attempting to make the process as smooth as possible for all of us. Hopefully, this positive relationship between medical cannabis businesses and the city will continue growing in the right direction resulting in a stronger and more prosperous La Mesa.