Mayor Ed Lee Helps San Francisco Clear Last Hurdle on Recreational Pot
Mayor Ed Lee has finalized San Francisco’s new pot laws made possible through Prop 64, effectively opening the door for San Francisco to sell recreational marijuana as early as January 5th, 2018.
While the city will not be ready to sell on New Years Day when recreational marijuana will be legal statewide, the mayor has signed off on the legislation that sets up a permitting system and dictates where future pot shops can be located. More than 40 city outlets now authorized to sell medical marijuana could start selling adult-use pot Jan. 6 if they meet local and state requirements.
The Los Angeles City Council also approved its rules for commerc-=[;=-[p’;/ial sales Wednesday, with Los Angeles now poised to be the largest distributor of recreational marijuana in the state of California. The LA City Council overwhelmingly approved a series of regulations for the cannabis industry this Wednesday, ending months of meetings aimed at streamlining the cities pot laws–prior to it becoming legal for recreational sale and use on Jan. 1.
Under the rules, Prop D compliant businesses will be granted temporary approval as will retail establishments with a previous city-issued Business Tax Registration Certificate. The rules include local hiring requirements to direct that 30 percent of a commercial business’ employees live within a three-mile radius of that business with 10 percent of its total workforce comprised of transitional workers.
Marijuana businesses will now be required to have licensure from both the state and the city to operate legally in Los Angeles. Hours of operation for the shops will be 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., although Cat Parker, the Executive Director of the Los Angeles Department of Cannabis Regulation, clarified the city would have the authority to set site-specific hours for certain shops.
