The county Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 on Wednesday to advance a series of updates to a proposed cannabis program in unincorporated areas, including rules related to land use, consumption lounges, and community benefits.
The motion from Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe regarding the Socially Equitable Cannabis Program includes the following updates:
— align with state standards and allow all cannabis facility types, requiring a 600-foot buffer between them and schools, day care and youth centers;
— further consideration of and research on consumption lounges and events; and
— further consideration of the community equity contribution program, allowing cannabis businesses that qualify to apply for tax rebates or grants, "ensuring sufficient time for new cannabis businesses to obtain all their required permits/licenses," according to county documentation.
A vote on the full program is not expected until this summer.
Along with Montgomery Steppe, Supervisors Paloma Aguirre and Terra Lawson-Remer voted yes, while Supervisors Joel Anderson and Jim Desmond were opposed.
Montgomery-Steppe said the county is at a crossroads in terms of cannabis policy.
"For me, this really has always been about a moral obligation to repair harm," she said, characterizing the so-called War on Drugs as a racially based criminalization of cannabis.
Montgomery Steppe also said there are economic benefits from legal marijuana, noting that 425,000 workers were employed in legal U.S. cannabis markets in 2024, holding positions ranging from security to botany. The United States is projected to see $46 billion in cannabis revenue this year, and revenue from the county's program could mean more money for services and infrastructure, Montgomery Steppe added.
Aguirre said the cannabis policy was developed thoughtfully and deliberately, and aligns with state law. She said factors such as education and community reinvestment help to create a regulated system.
Lawson-Remer said people lost decades of their lives being incarcerated for activities that are now legal and profitable, including for private equity investors.
Desmond, who has the flu and participated via teleconference, said he's OK with people using cannabis, "but this is really about land use and how cannabis should be sold, use and cultivated in the unincorporated areas."
Desmond said he supported prohibiting outdoor cultivation, lounges and community contribution. He added that not one community planning group "came out in favor of moving forward with this."
Anderson asked for a 1,000-foot buffer between marijuana businesses and schools, and said quite a few of his District 2 constituents are concerned about safety. Because California voters approved legalizing marijuana in 2016, the county's job is not to rewrite the law, but implement it in a way that causes the least harm to communities, Anderson said.
Illegal pot shops "don't care who they sell to, they're not accountable to anybody," said Anderson, who added that four of five existing county cannabis shops in are in his district, and he receives no complaints about them.
In an emailed statement, Anderson told City News Service he also voted no because "the board was focused on business owners; I was focused on my constituents."
Many cannabis advocates and opponents made their feelings known during the hour-plus public hearing.
Speaking in support of a cannabis policy, District 3 resident Michelle Kervorkian said over-restrictions won't stop illegal activity. "As a mother, I support meaningful protection," Kervorkian said. "As a construction professional, I support enforceable rules. As a volunteer, I care about outcomes that strengthen communities, rather than pushing activities underground."
Many proponents wore bright-green ribbons to show their support.
Larissa Anderson, president of Bonsall Unified School District and chair of its community group, asked the county to put the brakes on program expansion.
"We cannot fast-track a school — but under this ordinance, we can fast-track industrial-scale cannabis cultivation, including proximity to existing and future school sites under the banner of social equity," she said.
Some opponents said an option for no cannabis program wasn't discussed on Wednesday. Dahvia Lynch, deputy chief administrative officer, said that option will be included when supervisors consider the program this summer.
In January 2021, former Supervisors Nathan Fletcher and Nora Vargas proposed the cannabis policy as a way to eliminate the black market and address how anti-drug policies impact low-income and minority communities. Since that time, supervisors have approved several related policies, including tax rates in unincorporated areas and a grant to help five existing facilities.
In April 2023, supervisors voted 3-1 for an ordinance setting tax rates for the legal cannabis industry.
In May 2024, supervisors voted 3-2 in favor of a program that advocates say will allow people impacted by previous criminalization efforts to participate in the regulated market.
