The new Office of Cannabis has been approved by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors who have already tasked the yet-to-be-hired director with preparing two reports by Nov. 1, according to a San Francisco Gate report. The reports will analyze the social disparities that could cause some social groups to be left out of the industry, and how to keep medical cannabis affordable in the city.
Board president London Reed suggested that the city follow the lead of Oakland, where officials created an equity program aimed and providing reparations to those who were disproportionately affected by cannabis prohibition in recent decades. The board also passed Supervisor Asha Safai’s request to limit the number of dispensaries in his district to three.
Supervisors Jane Kim and Sandra Lee Fewer opposed the decision, saying it sets a precedent allowing the supervisors to do the work of the Planning Department. The Planning Commission, which has passed its own resolution to ban new dispensaries in the city for two years, has final say in the issuance of dispensary licenses.
Supervisor Malia Cohen, who played an integral role in setting up the Cannabis Office, also supported the plan to temporarily limit the issuance of new dispensary licenses until the state develops regulations to govern California’s adult-use industry. Cohen seeks to implement the moratorium as early as September.
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