The Fresno, California City Council has voted 4-3 to ban adult-use business operations in the city, but the code amendment still faces a second reading before taking effect, the Fresno Bee reports. The ban would apply to “any cultivation, manufacture, processing, storing, laboratory testing, labeling, transportation, distribution, delivery or sale of marijuana” for recreational use; however testing labs would be permitted in the city’s industrial areas if cannabis testing represents 20 percent or less of their business.
City Council President Clint Oliver, who voted against the proposal, called the ban “flawed.”
“I believe it’s a rush to judgement, a knee-jerk reaction,” he said in the report.
Previously, councilors had approved a measure by Oliver that would see the city hire a consultant to analyze how other California cities are approaching recreational sales and potential revenues derived from cannabis taxes.
Mayor Lee Brand supported both the ban and Oliver’s proposal – which would allow Brand to appoint a three-member council subcommittee to find a consultant.
“This is a huge issue across the state, billions of dollars are being spent,” Brand said during the city council meeting. “We need to at least take a look and see what the implications are.”
In June, the City Council voted to cap the number of cannabis plants individuals could cultivate in their homes to six; however, that ordinance has not yet taken effect as the councilors have been so far unable to bring it to the table for a second vote.