Update from Kate re Medical Marijuana Ordinance Workshop

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Proposed Ordinance Regulating Medical Marijuana In

Unincorporated Marin County

 

A public workshop has been announced and will take place at the Board of Supervisors’ meeting on June 9th at 1:30 pm. (See the attached Press Release and Notice of Public Workshop PDFs below.)

 

Here is some of the background. There currently are no medical marijuana dispensaries anywhere in Marin County. The Board of Supervisors formed a subcommittee to examine this access issue and bring forward a proposed solution for public review and comment. We are now at that point. Supervisor Sears has just received information about this draft ordinance and is studying what is proposed. 

 

Supervisors Judy Arnold (District 5) and Damon Connolly (District 1), the Board’s subcommittee members, researched the issue and brought forward this proposal. The Board subcommittee’s interest is to give patients an additional choice of supplier rather than travel outside of the county or rely on a delivery service.

 

The draft ordinance proposes to allow up to three dispensaries in the unincorporated areas of the County (north, middle and south county) through a special license, subject to strict siting and operating requirements and enforcement. Sites that meet the siting criteria (i.e. commercially-zoned and at least 600 feet from a school or park) can be viewed in the materials attached or on the webpage link below (look under Zone B for Southern Marin sites). 

 

There are potential sites proposed to permit this use in unincorporated Strawberry, Tam Valley and Sausalito. http://www.marincounty.org/main/marijuana-dispensary-ordinance/dispensary-location-maps.) The June 9 workshop will give Marin County residents a chance to discuss this approach. You may also submit formal comments here. The Board of Supervisors will not be voting on the matter on June 9.

 

For additional information, you can go to this page on the County website: http://www.marincounty.org/main/marijuana-dispensary-ordinance 

 

In 2013, the Marin County Civil Grand Jury recommended that the Board of Supervisors develop a viable ordinance for medical marijuana dispensaries in unincorporated areas of the County. This proposed County ordinance would not affect city or town jurisdictions which may have their own regulations or moratoria in force.  We look forward to having a broad and inclusive community conversation about this proposal. As always, feel welcome to let me know your thoughts after reviewing this material.