San Diego Slows Cannabis Expansion
San Diego supervisors are pumping the breaks on a proposed ordinance that would permit cannabis retail sales, manufacturing, and cultivation in unincorporated San Diego County. Board of Supervisors Chair Nathan Fletcher, who introduced the proposal, said a final ordinance will not be ready by June.
“We need to slow this down so we get it right," Fletcher said.
"The goal is to build a sustainable plan that makes economic access and equity foundational principles in this new industry. I was happy to support staff's assessment that more time and resources be allocated to this process."
Staff will have the next six months to gather data and stakeholder input.
Cannabis businesses have been banned in unincorporated San Diego since 2017. The outcome, according to legal cannabis advocates, has been an increase in black market activity. The November 2020 election shifted the ideological makeup of the Board of Supervisors, leading to January’s vote for an expanded cannabis program. The industry was hoping it would be implemented soon. That won’t be the case.
