Santa Clara County Shuts Down In-Person Adult-Use Sales

Santa Clara County, California officials are shutting down in-person adult-use cannabis purchases amid a new stay-at-home order issued on Tuesday, the San Jose Spotlight reports. Registered medical cannabis patients may still make purchases either in-store or curbside but adult-use products can only be bought and sold via delivery services.

Sean Kali-rai, founder of the Silicon Valley Cannabis Alliance, accused officials of “imposing their moral will” on citizens while “disguising it as a public health concern.” Kali-rai told the Spotlight that just 3 to 5 percent of South Bay cannabis consumers have a physician’s recommendation.

“The county is playing politics with cannabis and using the public health order as cover to do it. There’s no logic behind this at all, it is going to endanger public health, not protect it,” Kali-rai said.

“Medical dispensaries can dispense under healthcare industry exemptions. Suppliers to medical dispensaries and licensed medical growers can operate as well. Non-medical cultivation, supply, and dispensing of cannabis are prohibited, with the exception of deliveries directly to residences. Dispensaries with a mixed clientele of both medical and non-medical customers can do in-person business only with medical customers.” – Santa Clara County Public Health Order, April 1, 2020

San Jose Police Department Cannabis Division Manager Wendy Sollazzi said city officials are concerned that consumers are just going to turn to the unregulated market, “where they sell products and don’t verify age” but noted there “are still avenues for dispensaries to continue making sales for both medical and recreational cannabis.”

Just last week, county officials had deemed both medical and recreational cannabis dispensaries as “essential” and set social distancing rules to allow sales to continue. In all, six California counties, including Santa Clara, have extended their stay-at-home orders to May 3.