City may OK pot dispensary

After having regularly passed ordinances that have tightened the use and sale of cannabis products in the city, the Canyon Lake City Council is considering on Monday to allow cannabis dispensaries to operate within its city limits.

A special meeting of the City Council on Monday will listen to reports and citizen comments and may take action, according to City Manager Chris Mann.

A draft ordinance allowing commercial cannabis dispensaries within the City of Canyon Lake has been created by the city attorney which could be used to replace the section in the Municipal Code that currently prohibits such sales, Chris said. This draft ordinance will be presented to the City Council on Monday for discussion and a possible vote.

Long before the State of California, in its November 2016 elections, legalized adult recreational use of marijuana in the state, past City Councils were proactive in creating city law prohibiting cannabis products from being sold in the city. As far back as December 2012, the city passed Ordinance 143 prohibiting the production, distribution and use of psychoactive bath salts, herbal incense and similar products.

Ordinance 165 was passed in January 2016 prohibiting Medical Cannabis Dispensaries within the city and then, when the state law passed later that year, the city created and introduced Ordinance 176 to include the prohibition of any “commercial cannabis activity” within the city. The city adopted Ordinance 176 in November the following year.

Included in the current ordinance prohibiting commercial cannabis in Canyon Lake is the requiring a business license for cannabis delivery into the city from a retail use located outside the city.

During the Monday meeting, members of the City Council will be presented with the results of a survey that was conducted last year by the polling firm Probolsky Research.

Statistics and experiences of dealing with cannabis dispensaries in other jurisdictions from a law enforcement perspective will also be presented to the City Council by Lt. Jim Rayls from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department’s Lake Elsinore Station. The station provides police services to the city.

The city hired consultant HdL to assist with evaluating the benefits and concerns of commercial cannabis in the city. HdL is a consulting firm that prepares governments to manage the cannabis industry, according to its website.

“Cannabis legalization presents communities with some enormous opportunities – as well as some intimidating challenges,” HdL said on its website. “HdL’s Cannabis Services team has worked extensively on these issues for local government institutions, developing an intimate understanding of the critical interactions needed between city staff, public officials, legal counsel, and other key stakeholders.”

HdL has worked with the City of Canyon Lake attorney on the draft ordinance being used Monday for possible action by the council at the conclusion of the meeting.

The city is encouraging residents to voice their opinions about the possible ordinance. Those interested in submitting a written comment to the city council can do so by sending an email to PublicComment@canyonlakeca.gov.

The special meeting on Monday, which begins at 5:00 p.m., is open to the public.




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