The San Francisco, California Board of Supervisors have approved rules to govern the city’s adult-use cannabis industry, and while they might not put San Francisco on track to start selling to adults on Jan. 1, if Mayor Ed Lee signs the measure quickly sales could begin Jan. 5, the San Francisco Gate reports.
Rules include equity provisions which require half of the city’s retailers to qualify for an equity program that benefits would-be business owners with past cannabis convictions, low-income residents, people of color, and those displaced from their homes. The equity amendment was introduced by Supervisor Ahsha Safai, who ultimately voted against the package which passed 10-1. The provision includes language requiring that businesses serving as “incubators” for equity applicants hire a staff comprised of at least 30 percent who would qualify for the equity program.
“This is (intended) to meet the spirit of what this body has discussed over the last three months.” – Supervisor Safai.
Buffer zones between dispensaries and schools are reduced from 1,000 to 600 feet under the rules, while the 600-foot radius between dispensaries remains intact. Proposals by Safai and Supervisor Normal Yee to limit the number of dispensaries in certain areas in their purview were denied.
The legislation was sponsored by the mayor and the Board of Supervisors approved the creation of the San Francisco Office of Cannabis in July.
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