San Diego: Marijuana Recreational Use Begins, But No Sales Until 2018

San Diego marijuana for recreational use was legalized in November 2016 with the approval of Prop 64, but January 31 is only the beginning of the long road to being able to purchase marijuana without a prescription at a pot dispensary.

The reason that San Diego marijuana advocates are so excited about recreational use in the state in early 2017 is due to lawmakers going through with their promises to create the regulations to make recreational marijuana accessible within the terms of the law.

For example, San Diego marijuana for recreational use is not ready because new definitions will need to be written into the law in order to protect those under 21.

There is also a need for recreational marijuana San Diego laws that prevent groups from being exposed to recreational marijuana in public places.

All the other cities in California will also have recreational marijuana, but, by contrast, California coastal communities have still not met to decide how recreational marijuana will be distributed in their towns.

San Diego marijuana dispensaries for recreational use will likely open first because the lawmakers are taking time to tailor the laws to the specific needs of San Diego as early as possible. In other words, San Diego is likely to be the first city in California to start enacting the recreational marijuana laws.

Currently, in California and San Diego, marijuana used for recreation is illegal for people under 21 to possess or smoke and is only available with a prescription.

Projections for when recreational use marijuana pot dispensaries will be opened are currently estimated for January 2018, according to NBC San Diego.

LA Times adds that a total of 15 pot dispensaries will sell recreational marijuana.

Nevertheless, this January 2018 date could change if new regulations need to be reviewed concerning recreational marijuana use in San Diego, California. For instance, the San Diego City Council concluded their meeting on January 31 by voting to return in nine months “with recommendations to regulate the cultivation, processing, distribution and testing of marijuana.”

While San Diego is making a mark with marijuana legalization for recreational use because of the approval of Prop 64 — it is not a statewide law but instead gives power to the cities to decide how recreational marijuana will be used and sold in their communities.

However, so far, San Diego’s Planning Department will not be changing very many laws for recreational marijuana that are different from current prescription marijuana policies.

For instance, the San Diego planning department will be prohibiting the distribution of marijuana at special events. They also do not want people to grow more than six marijuana plants in their home at one time.

Other specifics include not packaging recreational marijuana edibles to look enticing to children end including warning labels about the potency of pot edibles.

Alternatively, it was reported that part of the reason the new recreational weed laws may still be under discussion relates to concerns by the San Diego Police Department. LA Times reported the San Diego City Council was apprehensive about “commercial cultivation, testing and distribution of marijuana and byproducts of the drug, such as edibles.”

Allegedly, the ability for the San Diego City Council to vote on those areas of recreational marijuana was withdrawn for approval because, “the San Diego Police Department had recommended the city ban them based on concerns about crime and other potential problems.”

San Diego Tribune reported concerns about pot farms were raised to the city council on January 31 because, “factories manufacturing edibles, hash oil, and other marijuana products are prone to explosions, and that pot farms have been linked to organized crime.”

They also quoted SD Narcotics Unit commander, Police Lieutenant Matt Novak, speaking from experience about how drug traffickers use Colorado’s lenient recreational marijuana laws to grow weed to sell to other states at a profit and stated the following.

“Our take is [pot farming] is going to very much negatively affect public health and public safety.”

[Featured Image by Win McNamee/Getty Images]