A cloudy May evening on Coronado Island over looking San Diego, California.

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San Diego, California On Track for Jan. 1 Adult-Use Cannabis Sales

San Diego, California is on track to begin adult-use cannabis sales by Jan. 1 after the City Council approved cultivation, manufacturing, and testing rules for the voter-approved industry, the Los Angeles Times reports. The council voted 6-3 in favor of the measure, which now includes provisions requiring producers to have “odor-absorbing ventilation and exhaust systems.”

In 2014 the council approved medical cannabis dispensary licensing rules that saw 17 businesses granted a city license – 11 are currently operational – and under the city’s adult-use industry rules those businesses would be allowed to obtain licenses and sell to adults 21-and-older when the statewide law takes effect at the start of the new year.

Councilman Mark Kersey, a Republican who voted in favor of the expanded regime along with the council’s five Democrats, said that while current operators have operated in a semi-legal fashion, none have become targets for criminal activity.

“My focus now is on implementing the will of the voters in the absolute safest way possible, while minimizing impacts to our communities,” he said in the report. “The ordinance before us is a logical and responsible addition so that we can regulate these facilities.”

The approval by the San Diego City Council follows a move last month by the Los Angeles City Council keeping the Jan. 1 timeline intact. Officials in the City of Angels have suggested that they could come online before the start date, but are considering shutting down all of the city’s dispensaries while they craft new licenses; however, City Council President Herb Wasson has indicated he would consider a provisional licensing system to avoid shutting down the industry completely while that process plays out.

Although in San Francisco, officials are not so sure their local rules will come together before the Jan. 1 deadline. Local regulators have indicated that they will not issue any adult-use cannabis licenses until laws regulating the industry are passed and they have an equity program in place.

In San Diego, 61.6 percent of voters approved the adult-use ballot initiative.

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