AgdaPkt 2017-10-23 Joint SA PFA - Laserfiche WebLink

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• Ban commercial cultivation, manufacturing, testing, retail and distribution, for both medical and adult use cannabis • Allow and regulate medicinal and adult use cannabis deliveries A multi -departmental staff team was created to study best practices, work with stakeholders, and develop recommendations around regulating cannabis. The team includes staff from the City Manager's Office, City Attorney's Office, Administrative Services Department, Community Development Department, Fire Department, and Police Department. Team activities to date include: • Organizing tours of medical cannabis dispensaries in the City of San Jose to understand their operations • Meeting with San Jose's regulatory and enforcement staff about their experience working with and regulating sixteen registered collective members • Coordinating a stakeholder meeting with representatives from local cannabis businesses, the Redwood City Chamber of Commerce, Redwood City School District, Sequoia Hospital, as well as local real estate and property owners The City also released an RFP and contracted with MuniServices, a municipal consulting firm, to provide staff with cannabis analysis, feedback, and data. MuniServices has experience working with over 50 other California cities in developing cannabis regulations, enforcement, and taxation schemes, as well as collaborating with industry leaders in Colorado and Washington on cannabis analytics and best practices. In addition, staff has sought public health information regarding cannabis use by adults and minors. Among other organizations, City staff connected with the Public Health Institute of Oakland, which is working on local ordinance development and public health protections around adult use cannabis. The organization provided a summary of the state of scientific research on cannabis by Dr. Susan Weiss, Director of the Office of Extramural Research of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, which is included as Attachment D. Planning Commission Action The Planning Commission held a public hearing on the proposed amendments to Article 59 of the Zoning Ordinance on October 3, 2017, to fulfill the City Council's direction to regulate cultivation, manufacturing, testing, and retail sale of cannabis. At that meeting, the Planning Commission recommended that the City Council adopt an ordinance amending Article 59. The Planning Commission also commented that they appreciated the proposed phased approach to regulation given that there is still much to be learned about the cannabis industry. The Planning Commission also recommended that the City Council consider allowing life -science related cannabis uses in one of the phases. 4