When California joined the ranks of states who have legalized the recreational sale of marijuana, people thought the Golden State would become the Greenest State. But, the 2016-voter approved measure gave the power to decide on regulations outlining the types of weed businesses that can operate within the city's and county's borders.
But, because some towns and counties didn't have enough time to explore how they wanted to regulate sales of recreational marijuana, many jurisdictions decided to outright ban all marijuana businesses. One analysis by the Sacramento Bee found that nearly 75-percent of California cities have bans or restrict marijuana deliveries in some way. That's created vast "pot deserts" in which customers in about 40 percent of the state live more than 60 miles away from a legal dispensary.
Now, a bill working its way through the California state Senate may help connect consumers with their cannabis and expand how delivery might work across the state.
Senate Bill 1302, approved yesterday by the Senate Governance and Finance Committee, would override local ordinances that prohibit the delivery of legal cannabis products. The bill, introduced by Sen. Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens), would permit cannabis operators who have been licensed by the state and a local jurisdiction to deliver weed anywhere in California.
The bill is sponsored by a weed delivery company (WeDrop) as well as Americans for Safe Access.
Photo: Getty Images