Under a new county law in the works, it would be illegal for specially licensed medical marijuana retailers to deliver cookies or brownies to Marin homes unless they contain cannabis.

On Tuesday, the Marin County Board of Supervisors had a first reading of an ordinance that would allow up to four medical cannabis retailers, making deliveries only, to locate in unincorporated Marin.

RELATED: Marin County, Calif., Cannabis-Delivery Ordinance Scheduled for Final Hearing in November

The ordinance expressly prohibits licensees from selling food, such as snacks and drinks, unless the snacks and drinks are infused with cannabis.

“Edibles are defined separately,” said county planner Inge Lundegaard. “So edibles would be an allowed cannabis product.”

Earlier in the meeting when Lundegaard was outlining the rules of the new license, several potential applicants misunderstood and objected to what they thought was a county ban on delivering edibles.

Read more

Top image: © Skypixel | Dreamstime.com

Pacific Grove >> The future of commercial cannabis within Pacific Grove boundaries in response to new state legislation will be a topic of conversation at Wednesday’s city council meeting.

While currently, there is a prohibition on medical marijuana dispensaries, cultivation and distribution in Pacific Grove, the ordinance is meant to comply with new state law that allows its cultivation, manufacturing, distribution and dispensing for recreational use. It’s because of additional legislation that gives cities the ability to prohibit some activity, that city officials are proposing to continue the current prohibition on commercial cannabis activities. But, city officials must include an exception for the personal indoor cultivation of up to six cannabis plants per private residence by adults 21 or older, to meet state requirements.

STATE BY STATE: California Cannabis News

Police Chief Amy Christey helped facilitate a public workshop last week presented by consulting firm HdL Co. that addressed aspects of cannabis activities and subsequent issues of concern. She pointed out the importance of defining the future of personal cultivation.

“The law says the city can reasonably regulate how that’s done,” said Christey. “But because direction was to prohibit commercial activity in the city we still have to acknowledge that people over the age of 21 can grow six plants.” Christey is recommending the implementation of certain rules on cultivation that would help restrict access of minors to marijuana.

Read more

TORONTO - Ontario is set to introduce legislation today that would regulate the sale and distribution of recreational marijuana.

The province was the first to announce detailed plans last month for cannabis once the federal government makes it legal in July 2018.

RELATED: Ontario's Cannabis Law Should Spell the End for 'Dispensaries,' Premier Warns

The drug will be sold in up to 150 stores run by the Ontario Liquor Control Board - separate from outlets selling alcohol - and illegal dispensaries will be shut down.

Read more

Top image: © Wellesenterprises | Dreamstime.com

As California barrels toward the legalization of recreational marijuana Jan. 1, Sacramento officials are tying up loose regulatory ends to ease the way here in the capital.

But the city auditor's office found a stumbling block in terms of tax collection. Some of Sacramento's 30 medical marijuana dispensaries have been under-reporting their earnings, meaning the city isn't receiving all the tax dollars it's owed. The current tax rate for dispensaries is 4 percent of gross receipts, and that's on top of the annual $20,000 permit fee.

Joe Devlin's official title is Chief of Cannabis Policy and Enforcement, but in other words-- he's Sacramento's first ever "Pot Czar."

RELATED: California to Tax Marijuana as Much as 45 Percent

Even with dispensaries under-reporting income, he said, the city has raked in a pretty penny from medicinal marijuana.

"Last year, our 30 dispensaries generated about $4.8 million in General Fund revenue. That goes towards contributing towards everything that's funded through the General Fund, such as police, firefighters, parks," Devlin said, further explaining that the $20,000 annual permit fee "pays for the inspection and administration of the Cannabis Office."

Read more

Top image: © Mrhighsky | Dreamstime.com