Some businesses previously denied a license can try again
San Francisco is considering making some exceptions for over a dozen medical marijuana sites hoping to receive recreational marijuana licenses from the city. The companies were not able to meet deadlines, or failed to meet other requirements, but now could be given the ability to reapply.
The city’s Board of Supervisors’ Land Use and Transportation Committee signed off on legislation yesterday from the Office of Cannabis that would grandfather in the 13 companies and allow them to sell recreational marijuana. Five of the sites had been previously approved by the Planning Commission to offer medical marijuana before San Francisco stopped approving licenses and changed the regulatory requirements for recreational marijuana. Those five would have had to complete construction of their facilities by the end of last year, but were not able to make the deadline.
The change only allows the businesses to reapply – it doesn’t mean the licenses will be approved. Michael Christensen, a San Francisco city planner, asserts that the legislation “provides a pathway for some of them to convert to cannabis retail. It’s just allowing the applications to be received.”
An additional five of the affected companies didn’t make the March 2018 deadline for submitting their permit applications to the Department of Building Inspection (DBI). The updated legislation still requires that they file with the DBI, but removes the deadline.
The remaining three businesses were impacted by their location. They sought licenses before there were restrictions on proximity between competing businesses and will now be allowed to reapply per the previous guidelines.
