Police chiefs across California last week rallied against a proposed state rule that would allow licensed cannabis companies to perform deliveries statewide — even in cities/counties where cannabis sales have been banned, the Associated Press reports.
Opposition to the program now includes the California Police Chiefs Association, the League of California Cities, and the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Western States Council — ironically, the UFCW union was fully onboard with Proposition 64, California‘s successful cannabis legalization initiative.
“Regulated marijuana dispensaries have tough security, checks for identity and legal age and strictly licensed workers. If marijuana can be delivered anywhere with virtually no regulation, California will lose these safeguards.” — James Araby, Executive Director of the UFCW Western States Council, in a statement
Advocates for the proposal argue that sickly patients and individuals who live among largely conservative populations should, as Californians, have the right to access the state’s newest and most rapidly-growing industry.
Opponents argue that a blanket allowance of cannabis delivery would undermine local regulations and create a difficult-to-track gray market with significantly higher potential for criminal activity.
As it was written, Prop. 64 allows for local jurisdictions to ban the operation of adult-use cannabis cultivators and retailers. However, according to the California Bureau of Cannabis Control, a business and professions code included in the initiative says that local governments “shall not prevent delivery of cannabis or cannabis products on public roads” by a licensed operator.
The dispute will likely be settled with a lawsuit.