Katelyn Baker
Well-Known Member
First the city fast-tracked the formerly incarcerated for weed licenses; now - new rules would make Oakland part-owner.
On Tuesday night in Oakland, community members and longtime cannabis professionals will go head to head with the Oakland City Council Public Safety Committee on how the term "equity" will be defined in the city's forthcoming permitting process for the industry.
At issue is the future of Oakland's legal marijuana industry, and who gets to be a part of it. Council will consider changing its cannabis licensing rules to mandate the city become a 25 percent owner of certain new marijuana business.
The municipal mandate comes after historic new rules fast-tracking convicted drug criminals for new licenses. Oakland's nascent Equity Permit Program also fast-tracks licensing for residents of a handful of police beats with the highest amount of arrests.
Spearheaded by Councilmember Desley Brooks, who represents the affected police beats, the EPP is among the most historic attempts at reparations for the decades-long drug war, anywhere in America. It is supported by Councilmembers Larry Reid and Noel Gallo.
Councilmember Brooks has said in public statements that the program is necessary address a problem in legal cannabis: those who bore the brunt of drug war enforcement are among the least represented among marijuana business owners.
But it's drawing criticism from the industry and legal experts who call it unfair and impractical. Groups like the Oakland Diversity and Equity Cannabis Coalition want to modify the program to add more beneficiaries.
On Thursday, an OakDECC meeting of industry lawyers and dispensary operators, activists and extract makers refused to even discuss mandatory city ownership of businesses - it's considered so legally dubious.
"I think it's more of a conversation-starter than meant to be a serious proposal with the obvious legal issues around it. Nevertheless, it is serious in the fact it's been put on the agenda and signed by three councilmembers," said OakDECC Policy Advisor Alex Zavel.
Oakland Cannabis Regulatory Commission Chairman and Councilor-at-Large candidate Matt Hummell mirrored Zavel's insights on whether the plan offered by Brooks could hold up to the scrutiny of the courts, and also noted, "to punish the supply chain, while at the same time garnering national attention by declaring a medical cannabis emergency is confusing to say the least."
Owning a dispensary is a "privilege", according to staff reports from Brooks' office introducing the mandatory 25 percent ownership rule.
OakDecc and others are urging city leaders to add police beats to the preferred list, and lengthen the list of eligible drug felons.
Of Oakland's 57 police beats, only the top six for arrests in 2013 were selected as qualifying residences for an equity permit. An OakDECC study found 19 of the city's police beats had felt the brunt of the war on drugs, as opposed to the six offered by Brooks.
"If you know anything about the history of policing in Oakland, you know the Oakland Riders. Even some of the districts that were terrorized the most by them in West Oakland were not included," said Zavel.
Separate licensing criteria for Oakland residents with past marijuana convictions has also come under the scrutiny of OakDECC. Currently only Oakland residents with a marijuana conviction within city limits over the past ten years would qualify for an equity permit. OakDECC has called for an expansion on the criteria in which they would remove time limits they consider arbitrary, and expand the program to cover arrests statewide and the family members of the convicted.
OakDECC members are also pushing hard for the city to take an official stand in supporting a bill on Governor Brown's desk to create a state cottage license for the smallest part-time commercial medical marijuana growers.
Oakland currently has less than a dozen licensed medical cannabis dispensaries, and is in the process of creating permits for the rest of the medical supply chain. The local permits marry to new state permitting for the entire multi-billion medical cannabis industry.
The meeting is tonight at 6 p.m.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Oakland Public Safety Meeting On Marijuana To Be A Doozy
Author: Jimi Devine
Contact: SFGate
Photo Credit: Paul Chinn
Website: SFGate
On Tuesday night in Oakland, community members and longtime cannabis professionals will go head to head with the Oakland City Council Public Safety Committee on how the term "equity" will be defined in the city's forthcoming permitting process for the industry.
At issue is the future of Oakland's legal marijuana industry, and who gets to be a part of it. Council will consider changing its cannabis licensing rules to mandate the city become a 25 percent owner of certain new marijuana business.
The municipal mandate comes after historic new rules fast-tracking convicted drug criminals for new licenses. Oakland's nascent Equity Permit Program also fast-tracks licensing for residents of a handful of police beats with the highest amount of arrests.
Spearheaded by Councilmember Desley Brooks, who represents the affected police beats, the EPP is among the most historic attempts at reparations for the decades-long drug war, anywhere in America. It is supported by Councilmembers Larry Reid and Noel Gallo.
Councilmember Brooks has said in public statements that the program is necessary address a problem in legal cannabis: those who bore the brunt of drug war enforcement are among the least represented among marijuana business owners.
But it's drawing criticism from the industry and legal experts who call it unfair and impractical. Groups like the Oakland Diversity and Equity Cannabis Coalition want to modify the program to add more beneficiaries.
On Thursday, an OakDECC meeting of industry lawyers and dispensary operators, activists and extract makers refused to even discuss mandatory city ownership of businesses - it's considered so legally dubious.
"I think it's more of a conversation-starter than meant to be a serious proposal with the obvious legal issues around it. Nevertheless, it is serious in the fact it's been put on the agenda and signed by three councilmembers," said OakDECC Policy Advisor Alex Zavel.
Oakland Cannabis Regulatory Commission Chairman and Councilor-at-Large candidate Matt Hummell mirrored Zavel's insights on whether the plan offered by Brooks could hold up to the scrutiny of the courts, and also noted, "to punish the supply chain, while at the same time garnering national attention by declaring a medical cannabis emergency is confusing to say the least."
Owning a dispensary is a "privilege", according to staff reports from Brooks' office introducing the mandatory 25 percent ownership rule.
OakDecc and others are urging city leaders to add police beats to the preferred list, and lengthen the list of eligible drug felons.
Of Oakland's 57 police beats, only the top six for arrests in 2013 were selected as qualifying residences for an equity permit. An OakDECC study found 19 of the city's police beats had felt the brunt of the war on drugs, as opposed to the six offered by Brooks.
"If you know anything about the history of policing in Oakland, you know the Oakland Riders. Even some of the districts that were terrorized the most by them in West Oakland were not included," said Zavel.
Separate licensing criteria for Oakland residents with past marijuana convictions has also come under the scrutiny of OakDECC. Currently only Oakland residents with a marijuana conviction within city limits over the past ten years would qualify for an equity permit. OakDECC has called for an expansion on the criteria in which they would remove time limits they consider arbitrary, and expand the program to cover arrests statewide and the family members of the convicted.
OakDECC members are also pushing hard for the city to take an official stand in supporting a bill on Governor Brown's desk to create a state cottage license for the smallest part-time commercial medical marijuana growers.
Oakland currently has less than a dozen licensed medical cannabis dispensaries, and is in the process of creating permits for the rest of the medical supply chain. The local permits marry to new state permitting for the entire multi-billion medical cannabis industry.
The meeting is tonight at 6 p.m.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Oakland Public Safety Meeting On Marijuana To Be A Doozy
Author: Jimi Devine
Contact: SFGate
Photo Credit: Paul Chinn
Website: SFGate
