The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted 3 to 2 to give final approval to a comprehensive Socially Equitable Cannabis Program. The vote establishes a framework for new marijuana businesses across the county’s unincorporated areas. Today’s action was the second and final reading of ordinances governing commercial marijuana licensing, the Social Equity Program and associated permitting and licensing fees.
The Board gave initial approval to the measures on August 19. Supervisors Paloma Aguirre, Terra Lawson-Remer and Monica Montgomery Steppe supported the proposal at that first vote. Supervisors Joel Anderson and Jim Desmond opposed it.
Supervisors first directed county officials to develop the new Socially Equitable Cannabis Program in January 2021. The county says the program is designed to provide greater business opportunities to people disproportionately affected by marijuana criminalization and the War on Drugs.
Under the framework, the county will allow marijuana cultivation, manufacturing, distribution, testing laboratories, microbusinesses, storefront and delivery retailers, onsite consumption lounges and temporary marijuana events. Consumption lounges will be allowed only as part of a retail facility. The county will allow a maximum of 25 storefront marijuana retailers, with no numerical cap on other license types.
At least 50% of storefront retail licenses will be reserved for qualifying social equity applicants. Those applicants also receive a three-year head start to obtain licenses before the broader applicant pool can compete. Businesses must remain at least 51% owned by qualifying social equity applicants to maintain social equity status.
All marijuana facilities must be located at least 600 feet from schools, day cares and youth centers. Supervisors rejected a Planning Commission recommendation to increase the buffer to 1,000 feet and add public parks, public trails and places of worship to the protected list. The Board also rejected the commission’s recommendation to prohibit outdoor cultivation.
The program permits cultivation in agricultural zones, while manufacturing, distribution and testing facilities can operate in industrial zones. Retailers and temporary marijuana events can operate in commercial and industrial zones. Microbusinesses can operate in certain agricultural, industrial and commercial areas.
Smaller outdoor cultivation operations of up to 5,000 square feet, along with certain manufacturers, distributors, testing laboratories and retailers, may qualify for a streamlined zoning verification process. Larger outdoor grows, indoor and mixed-light cultivation, microbusinesses and consumption lounges generally require an administrative permit.
The approval ends a policy shift years in the making. The county has had a moratorium on new marijuana facilities since 2017, with just five existing nonconforming businesses holding valid operating certificates. Assistance through the Social Equity Program includes training, one-on-one mentorship, help with record expungement, grant opportunities and workforce development assistance.
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