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The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors voted against a cannabis business tax measure July 12, which could have allowed more cannabis dispensaries to open in unincorporated areas in Sacramento County, California.
Currently, Sacramento and Isleton are the only cities within the county that permit cannabis dispensaries.
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The proposal needed four yes votes from the five board members to be put before voters in the November election, but only three voted yes–with Supervisors Don Nottoli and Sue Frost declining, Capradio reported.
“It’s not that I’m opposed to a vote,” Frost said. “It’s that I’m opposed to a vote where two-thirds of the constituents are making a decision for those that are singled out as impacted by that vote.”
Supervisors Phil Serna, Patrick Kennedy and Rich Desmond all voted to put the measure before voters in November, arguing that it would boost the county’s budget, help combat the illicit market and allow the county to compete with the city of Sacramento’s cannabis tax revenue, Capradio reported.
Consultants said the proposal could generate millions of dollars in tax revenue annually; however, Nottoli expressed that it’s not always about money and that it wasn’t enough to convince him to support the proposal, according to Capradio.
The board has until Aug. 1 to approve the proposal, but according to Capradio, Nottoli and Frost did not indicate that they would overturn or reconsider their votes.
