SANTA CRUZ — At its assembly Tuesday, the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors authorised the primary studying of ordinance amendments that permit for on-site hashish consumption at native retailers and farms in unincorporated territory.
The high-profile resolution, narrowly handed with Supervisors Kim De Serpa and Monica Martinez casting “no” votes, provides present hashish retailers the choice to determine an on-site consumption lounge beneath strict smoke-free office pointers and air air pollution laws. Equally, the vast majority of supervisors additionally agreed to create a three-year pilot program for on-site gross sales and consumption at hashish farms.
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There may be at present no place within the county that hashish will be legally consumed outdoors of a person’s non-public residence, and proponents hope the brand new insurance policies will give the struggling trade some added attraction and a much-needed monetary increase.
In response to fears — voiced among the many attending public and dissenting supervisors — concerning the new coverage sparking a rash of intoxicated drivers on native roadways, Supervisor Manu Koenig, who has championed the method for growing these adjustments alongside Supervisor Felipe Hernandez since 2023, stated he thinks the lounges may find yourself having the other impact.
“If anything, I think having a designated place where people could consume is going to bring more awareness about the fact that maybe (customers) should take an Uber to the dispensary or to the cannabis lounge. Maybe they should ask a friend to pick them up or drive them,” stated Koenig. “To me this is about creating a viable, legal framework where they’ll be more opportunities for productive social interactions, for education, for monitoring, for messaging for dosage.”
The ordinances shall be scheduled no later than March 20 for a second studying and closing adoption.
