Less than two weeks after San Luis Obispo County passed local regulations for the soon-to-be legal cannabis industry, a campaign seeking changes to the policy is underway.
Cannabis industry members say the new county ordinance, approved by the Board of Supervisors on Nov. 27 by 3-2 vote, makes it impossible for businesses to obtain state licenses at the start of 2018 and establishes onerous restrictions that will drive operators out of business.
Sean Donahoe, a cannabis industry consultant involved with the SLO County Cannabis Business Association and the California Growers Association, told New Times he's preparing a ballot initiative aimed at collecting enough signatures to put the policy in front of voters.
"[The county supervisors] are not able or willing to govern rationally about this," Donahoe said. "So we need to take this issue out of the hands of this Board of Supervisors."
Per the county ordinance, eligible cannabis businesses, from cultivators to delivery services, will have to apply for discretionary permits from the county—a process that will likely take several months, according to county officials.
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