Days Away from Legalization, Pot Shops Are Not Opening Soon
Feuds in Carpinteria and Lompoc Erupt over Coming Pot Laws
Just days before recreational cannabis sales are legal in California on January 1, retail pot shops on the Central Coast are not expected to open anytime soon. And there is considerable disagreement among city and county lawmakers about how to regulate pot.
The Carpinteria City Council voted unanimously to send a letter to state regulators opposing the County of Santa Barbara’s decision to draft letters of authorization so medical marijuana operators can stay open under January’s new state laws. The decision by county supervisors two weeks ago, on a 4-1 vote, allows existing medical marijuana collectives to apply for temporary state permits. These cannabis growers breathed a sigh of relief. They said they would otherwise have had to shut down their businesses, many of which employ dozens of people.
But at a special meeting held Wednesday, Carpinteria city councilmembers took issue with the fact the county does not know which existing cannabis operations are in fact legal. In January 2016, the county supervisors adopted a ban on new cannabis businesses; existing operations were permitted. County officials admit they did not keep records at the time about which operations already existed.
