Socially Equitable Cannabis Program
Cannabis Updates
Please subscribe to the Cannabis Program email list to
receive updates and announcements about future engagement
opportunities and outreach events. Visit the Socially Equitable Cannabis Program page on
Engage.SanDiegoCounty.gov for more information.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
What is the Socially Equitable Cannabis Program?
The County’s Socially Equitable Cannabis Program (Cannabis Program) will allow for new commercial cannabis businesses in the County of San Diego’s unincorporated area. The Cannabis Program establishes safe access to cannabis, helps stop the unlicensed cannabis market, and provides an equitable path to cannabis business ownership and employment.
PROGRAM ELEMENTS
The program includes: regulatory requirements, a licensing and permitting framework, environmental impact considerations, and support for equitable access to cannabis-related business opportunities.
Regulatory Requirements: Current policies will be revised to allow for new and expanded commercial cannabis businesses in the unincorporated area of the county. These include revisions to the County’s regulatory code and zoning ordinance to establish where and how cannabis businesses may operate.
Licensing and Permitting System: Structures and procedures will be put in place to issue the necessary local licenses and permits to run a cannabis business.
Environmental Impact Report: There will be an analysis of the potential environmental impacts of new regulatory requirements related to the Cannabis Program. Ways to reduce impacts will also be identified.
Social Equity Program: This part of the overall program is focused on providing support to eligible persons to successfully establish or gain employment in a cannabis business. This includes efforts to address the adverse impacts that cannabis criminalization has had on people and their communities.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Cannabis Licensing Outreach Recap and Draft EIR Guidance Virtual Meetings
We hosted virtual public meetings on October 23 and 29, 2024 to recap licensing outreach feedback and provide guidance on how to review and comment on the Draft EIR. If you were unable to attend, you can view the presentation slides or watch the recording on our Engage San Diego webpage.
Community engagement is a key component of the Cannabis Program. The County has solicited input on all aspects of the program throughout the process and will continue until all program components are fully developed and in place. Visit the Socially Equitable Cannabis Program page on Engage.SanDiegoCounty.gov for more information.
TIMELINE
The County initiated work on the Cannabis Program in early 2021. Since that time, the County has accomplished several steps in program development. These include:
- Established a tax on cannabis businesses
- Completed the requirements to ensure eligibility for state grants to support a social equity program
- Developed and initiated the social equity program to support future cannabis business entrepreneurs
- Researched multiple factors for consideration in developing the draft regulatory requirements and licensing and permitting system
- Analyzed potential environmental impacts from the proposed Cannabis Program and initiated the development of a Draft Program Environmental Impact Report
As of fall 2024, the next steps include:
- Complete the draft regulatory requirements and Draft Program Environmental Impact Report. Both items will be available for public review and comment by winter 2024.
- Complete the draft licensing and permitting system
- Conduct eligibility checks for the social equity program and initiate support activities with eligible applicants
- Present the final proposed Cannabis Program to the Board for their consideration
The Cannabis Program will be fully implemented after the Board of Supervisors (Board) approves the necessary regulatory changes and certifies the Environmental Impact Report at a future Board hearing anticipated for fall/winter 2025. In the meantime, new cannabis businesses are not permitted in the county's unincorporated area.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
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