Mod: I haven't done too many Sierra Madre stories lately, but this one jumped out at me. It comes from an interesting site called Colorado Boulevard.net, out of Pasadena. It apparently likes to cover actual news, a dangerous concept I know. As you might be aware the City Council in Sierra Madre only occasionally respects the wishes of the voters, or keeps its promises. As an example, a UUT rate increase was voted down three out of four attempts by the city.Sierra Madre Soon May Be Required to Allow Marijuana Dispensaries (
Colorado Boulevard.net link): In 2016,
59% of
Sierra Madre voters approved
Prop 64 (Marijuana Legalization). There are no retail outlets in the City, however, because the law approved as
Prop 64 states that a City government gets to decide if marijuana dispensaries will be allowed in the City.
State of California Assembly Bill 1356 would address the lack of retail marijuana stores.
Bill 1356 would require one store per 10,000 residents or one per four liquor stores; it would prohibit the City from banning marijuana retail outright.
Many cities have safety concerns about marijuana stores as cash only businesses. These businesses are cash only because
Federal law prohibits marijuana use and the banking industry does not want the liability that might arise by providing services to dispensaries. This situation puts everyone at risk; retailers and customers could be victims of robbery attempts. There currently are bills in
Congress that would fix the problem.
I feel that when the cash only aspect of the retail marijuana industry is fixed, there is no reason for citywide retail bans.
Marijuana should be regulated the same as liquor stores. They all need to check IDs, provide security and keep children safe.
Marijuana is legal in
California and shouldn’t be subject to arbitrary bans.
Mod: So is Sierra Madre ready for a cannabis tasting room? There are certainly plenty of empty storefronts in town. Info on the author of this article is available at the link.sierramadretattler.blogspot.com
