A screenshot of a Long Beach map showing marijuana vendors from weedmaps.com reveals most of the businesses on the site have so far marketed themselves to provide only delivery services. In last November’s election, voters in Long Beach approved two measures that would regulate and tax the businesses that sell medical and recreational marijuana within the city. In that same election, California voters also approved legislation that legalized recreational marijuana to adults 21 and over throughout the state.” captionposition=”bottom-left” lightbox=”off” floater=”on” floaterposition=”left” floaterdirection=”none”] By: CJ Dablo
Staff Writer
On Tuesday, May 2, city leaders will be pondering a new proposal to crack down on illegal marijuana operations in Long Beach— by heavily penalizing both the bad businesses and their landlords who collect a rent check and look the other way.
According to a press release from the office of Councilmember Suzie Price, the 3rd-district councilmember will ask for new legislation to target illegal marijuana business operators and the property owners who rent to them, and that legislation would, among other things, allow the City to shut off utility service to properties that house unsanctioned companies that sell cannabis without a license from the City.
In the past, Price has received flak from medical-marijuana advocates. In a phone interview, the Signal Tribune asked Price about the past criticism by marijuana advocates and whether she felt as though next week’s proposal will draw more controversy.
“I don’t make policy decisions based on getting flak from special-interest groups,” Price said, recalling the numerous clashes with critics at previous council meetings. “I’m going to speak my mind based on data and research, and if there’s criticism to be had, bring it.”
It’s no secret that the 3rd-district councilmember has consistently favored tight regulations on the businesses whenever the topic of marijuana legislation appears on the agenda for the city council. Price has repeatedly warned of the possibility of “unintended consequences” that could especially impact the residents who live near storefronts that will sell marijuana.
The issue has attracted vocal residents to City Hall numerous times over the years. Residents who fear or have experience with crime near a noncompliant dispensary in their area have been at odds with their neighbors who have voiced a need for “safe access” to medical marijuana.
But this is a post-November, 2016 world. Voters throughout California passed Prop. 64, which, among other things, legalized recreational marijuana for adults 21 and over. During that same election, Long Beach residents passed Measures MA and MM, which together regulate and tax marijuana businesses in the city.
However, this is also a world in which the federal authorities may still crack down on marijuana, no matter what the voters in the state or city say about the substance. Price has acknowledged that US Attorney General Jeff Sessions has criticized the legalized marijuana industry and has suggested a tougher stance on drug enforcement, but the councilmember expected that federal enforcement will likely be on recreational sales. She also pointed out that it’s the responsibility of the local authorities to seek out unlicensed businesses, no matter what a business sells.
What is different this time is that she may have allies within the medical marijuana community.
Adam Hijazi, a spokesman for the Long Beach Collective Association, certainly favors tighter regulations on illegal businesses. His association is an advocacy group for medical marijuana that includes area owners and operators of dispensaries.
Hijazi is one of the few operators who expects to be opening a legal business to sell medical marijuana soon in the 2nd District. The Council several years ago had banned all medical-marijuana businesses when a court determined that parts of a city ordinance that attempted to regulate the industry conflicted with federal law. Many owners shut down their marijuana operations, some of them willingly, to show they were compliant with City rules as they waited for more favorable legislation to be passed so they can operate again. Hijazi is one of those owners.
Once the City announced the rules of the permitting process for legal businesses, dispensary operators like Hijazi started the business-license process. Hijazi said the process is going well and he likes the open communication with city leaders and city staff.
“Everything is moving forward with the City,” Hijazi said in a phone interview, “and we’re really happy and pleased to finally be at this stage.”
He described how the new process requires strict standards on security, cultivation, lab testing and manufacturing. The business is even required to pay a “livable wage” to workers.
There is also a limit on the number of dispensaries in the city. According to an analysis on the measure by the city attorney, Measure MM would allow about 26 to 32 storefronts in the city.
The Signal Tribune asked Hijazi about whether the dispensaries that do get licenses will somehow create a monopoly. Hijazi didn’t consider it a monopoly. Everyone had a chance to apply for a license, he noted, and he said that there will be competition from other businesses in other nearby cities when they get established.
“So,” Hijazi concluded, “there’s plenty of opportunity for individuals to work in a sanctioned fashion, going through the standards of the City.”
