The city of Sonora, in central California, plans to file suit against the state Bureau of Cannabis Control (BCC) over a policy adopted in 2018 that allows commercial marijuana to be delivered anywhere in the state, regardless of local bans on MJ commerce.
According to The Union Democrat, the Sonora City Council voted 5-0 to proceed with litigation over the matter, and city officials believe they won’t be the last municipality to take the state to court over MJ delivery.
“It won’t just be us,” Mayor Jim Garaventa told the Sonora newspaper.
The policy, announced last July in a draft of industry regulations that were still being crafted at the time, immediately brought swift condemnation from the League of California Cities.
The group launched a campaign called “Stop Wandering Weed” in conjunction with the California Police Chiefs Association and the United Food and Commercial Workers Western States Council.
Litigation such as Sonora’s also has been a topic since the policy was revealed, with some local officials speculating publicly that it could lead to a legal fight because Proposition 64 – the 2016 voter initiative that legalized adult-use cannabis in California – guaranteed local control to cities and counties over marijuana commerce.
The statewide delivery policy was made permanent in January, when the state Office of Administrative Law signed off on the final version of the BCC’s proposed regulations.
BCC spokesman Alex Traverso declined to comment on the pending lawsuit.
Source of article: https://mjbizdaily.com/city-of-sonora-to-sue-california-over-statewide-cannabis-delivery-policy/
