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Cannabis Item Pulled from City Council Meeting, But Reasons Hazy

Councilmember Kennedy requests matter be pulled from agenda

Published on Tuesday, April 20, 2021 | 5:23 am
 

The City Council voted to again table a public hearing on amendments to the city’s changes to the city’s cannabis ordinance.

The amendments would shorten the distance between dispensaries from 1,000 feet to 450 feet and allow more than one dispensary per council district, provided the dispensary finished in the top six of the city’s selection process.

The decision to table the hearing came after a request by Councilman John Kennedy that involved a letter to City Attorney Michelle Beal Bagneris. 

“This matter affects my district more than any other in the district. I would think we would pull it based on the written request I have provided to you,” said Kennedy.

After confirming attorney client privilege exists regarding some parts of the letter Kennedy would not provide further details on his reason for asking that the matter be pulled. 

“I am not in a position to determine what in my letter is disclosable or undisclosable,” Kennedy said.

There was discussion of extending a looming June 5 deadline that requires cannabis companies have a cannabis permit. 

According to the original ordinance only one cannabis dispensary could be placed in each City Council district.

Two dispensaries, Atrium and Sweetflower, that did not advance beyond the city’s selection process applied for Conditional Use Permits in District 3. 

If those businesses were allowed back in the process, they could join an additional one resulting in three dispensaries in the district which is represented by Kennedy. 

However, with redistricting on the horizon those lines could change leading to one or some of the dispensaries ending up in another City Council district. 

It is not known when the item will come back before the City Council. This is the second time, the item has been tabled. 

Of the six cannabis dispensaries approved in the city’s process, only two, Integral and Tony Fong, have opened for business. 

A third company, Harvest, received a conditional use permit but so far has not opened.

Integral, Tony Fong, Harvest, Sweetflower, Atrium and MedMen successfully wended their way through the city’s $14,000 application process which was set up after voters overwhelmingly approved Measure CC.

The measure, which allows up to six dispensaries to operate in Pasadena, passed with 63 percent of the vote in 2018. The ordinance also allowed the council to retain the authority to amend existing ordinances and adopt future ordinances regarding commercial cannabis business activities.

The council placed the measure on the ballot after initially voting down an ordinance that would have allowed the sale of cannabis, but did an about-face when cannabis supporters began making efforts to get a measure on the ballot that could have allowed an unlimited number of dispensaries to operate in Pasadena.

But based on distance locations in the city’s ordinance and available locations, city officials later estimated only three dispensaries would probably open.

MedMen was disqualified following a city investigation.

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