By Nathan Solis
LOS ANGELES (CN) – As 2018 dawned and recreational marijuana went on sale, Los Angeles became the nation’s largest market. And it’s been a lucrative two months for the city, which has collected over $2 million in license fees from recreational cannabis business applicants alone – far exceeding expectations.
On Wednesday, the city continued to fine tune its rules over cannabis businesses, like the distance from public parks, advertising, and the bigger question of which communities were negatively impacted by the war on drugs and how they can benefit from the city’s newest industry.
Since Jan. 3, over 100 applicants received short-term licenses to operate their cannabis businesses in the city. But less than half have received their state license, which is also required to sell recreational cannabis.
Cat Packer, director of the city’s Department of Cannabis Regulation, said earlier this month at a committee meeting that Los Angeles will likely see revenue of $3.5 million through June. She called the retail rollout of recreational marijuana “a complex transition from an unregulated market to a regulated market.”
On Wednesday, Los Angeles extended its contract with consulting group Amec Foster Wheeler to determine which ZIP codes should be included in a proposed program that would give back to neighborhoods negatively affected by the war on drugs. The mainly low-income neighborhoods made up of people of color, were specifically targeted by law enforcement and include Boyle Heights in East Los Angeles and communities in the San Fernando Valley.
The social equity program would help eligible people who want to leap into the legal cannabis industry find real estate for their businesses and other subsidies.
Inundated with applications, the city will hire additional staff for the Department of Cannabis Regulation. The 21 employees will include accountants, analysts and managers to process applications, better serve businesses and field questions from the public on the city’s cannabis industry. Up until recently, the department was staffed by three people.
Additional updates to the city’s cannabis rules include restrictions on advertisements to limit children’s exposure, and an 800-foot buffer zone between cannabis storefronts and drug and alcohol recovery facilities, day care facilities, supportive housing, public libraries, parks, schools and homes.
The city will also wrangle with cannabis use in private clubs, lounges and special events hosted by licensed businesses outside their storefronts.
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48 Comments
Yet no dispensary will ever come to scv
The SCV will be flooded with them in the next few years. The rich of the SCV who have kept it out of town for decades are going to make millions off of it. Watch.
Brandon Bellm NOT! We’re one of the old timers that will fight against it!
Never entering city limits!
Well here’s your scv weed delivery service for those who say it’s not entering our valley. This is only what’s on weedmaps. So I’m sure there are more than just this one ??♀️??♀️??♀️
Old timers… The exact reply I expected. Times change. Studies have been done. If anything it’s interesting to see how the “old timers” are so against it considering the 60s, Woodstock, etc.
Possibly dispensary opening in castaic, so not within scv city limits but close by
There have already been dispensaries in SCV and Canyon Country. You dinosaurs are behind on taking freedoms away from hard working responsible Americans.
Even the police know better.
https://drugs-forum.com/threads/dare-curriculum-drops-marijuana.198384/
Keep that cr8p out of SCV!
Not gonna happen. Too much money to be made.
Gonna happen as long as I’m here in town and I’m not alone here. #DontDoDrugs
I hate break it to ya but it doesn’t even matter if there is a dispensary in the SCV, many people use marijuana in the SCV and a number of people use it for medicinal purposes. So it’s still in the SCV.
Stephanie Belcher Morales I still reiterate, don’t use drugs.
Stephanie Belcher Morales people use drugs to escape reality. There are other underlying issues why people use them. Possible mental health issues, not being able to cope with life, etc.
There are also weed delivery services based out of Santa Clarita and others that serve the Santa Clarita valley so….. ??♀️
I guess you dont know about Santa Claritas dirty little chloride secret.
That cr8p is the least of Santa Clarita’s worries. The opioid addiction is far worse, which now many many young people out here use meth and heroine, because their prescriptions got cut off… and we keep opening bars, which marijuana is less destructive to the human body than alcohol. I would rather be around a stoned person than a drunk person any day. I’ve never seen a stoned person lose complete control… ever. I’ve seen a drunk person rip apart a room in a few minutes, say hurtful things they don’t remember and destroy lives.
Bart Joseph or that we have one a huge heroine problem… ignorance is bliss.
Emma Wright If you want a dispensary you should go outside of SCV. They only bring low class elements to the areas they permeate. Maybe you should educate yourself too. Only an idiot would compare alcohol, and prescription drugs to marijuana. Marijuana is a gateway drug and often causes health issues and can cause car accidents just like drugs or alcohol.
$$ Is the only reason why politicians want to legalize drugs …too many crimes under the influence due to drugs incidence are happening ..not good for society …
Sold our young generations future, for tax money to give sanuaury and free stuff to illegals! Swell!
https://drugs-forum.com/threads/dare-curriculum-drops-marijuana.198384/
Can’t wait to see this money reinvested in our communities. Colorado is already improving.
CHRIS BS! Colorado has high traffic accidents, higher drug crime and dealers, more children hospitalized for ingesting marijuana! Also more homeless but yes they have collected lots of tax money! Shameful!
Prove it
Shirley… BS. I happen to live in CO and grew up in the SCV. Opioid addiction is the reason for crime rates and dealers… not marijuana. Children ingesting it is bad parenting (which happens EVERYWHERE, even in Santa Clarita).
The Opioid crises is insane.
Get high maaaaaaan??
William?
It’s worked wonders in Washington. The amount of money it raised in tax dollars is insane and it goes to the schools and roads ? and it takes growing and selling away from drug lords out of the country, where we don’t know what they use to grow. We have regulations on growing and selling to keep the consumer safe. ?
Emma hope they go to the freeways. Damn the 5 and 14 merge! Lol
So, SCVTV, since this is a “school” site, do you think it’s appropriate to celebrate drugs in the name of tax revenue? (Exceeding Expectations”) You guys have a obvious agenda. Dumbing down a society, starting with children (school site) to support your hero Kamala Harris, perhaps. Oh, I know, it’s just news…
They are on to us! Quick! Post about Jerry Brown!
Chris Hosea Who’s Jerry Brown?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Brown
Chris Hosea yes, I flush it down Regularly?
Lmao. Idiot
Mark Munoz you’re a idiot. I sound “smart” like you now, Chico.?
James Parker yeah mannnnnn maaaahhhhn duuuuuude? dope is kool
https://drugs-forum.com/threads/dare-curriculum-drops-marijuana.198384/
Steve Pogge
There’s nothing wrong with legalizing marijuana. All of the people against it are out of touch with the times and have been raised to believe it’s a bad thing. Alcohol is way worse, statistically and yet people are fine with it being sold.
You cant control what you dont control. We legalize drugs that spend more time telling you why not to take it, and then silence food producers who say their food helps conditions.
As usual this article was not read by the commentors.
This has to do with liecensing fees collected and regulatory issues.
Ignorance maybe bliss, but there comments are hilarious.
What got me in the article is how they are trying to figure out the regulatory factors as if they didn’t already have the same factors set for smoking and vaping (ex: distances from buildings, no smoking indoors at public places, not on school grounds, etc.)
As for the licensing and regulatory issues, there’s already states, cities, and towns they SCV can take note of.
Obviously we would price adjust for our town but it seems like we are dragging our feet a bit on the issue