SF Supervisors approve moratorium on new pot shops in city

June 7, 2023
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The San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved an ordinance Tuesday creating a moratorium on accepting new applications for retail cannabis licenses in the city until 2028. Existing applications will still be processed by the city.

The ordinance was approved unanimously in a 10 – 0 vote (District 9 Supervisor Hillary Ronen was absent from the meeting). District 11 Supervisor Ahsha Safai, the author of the proposal, introduced a last minute “sunset” amendment that sets a Dec. 31, 2027 expiration date for the ordinance, at which point the city could resume accepting new applications for retail licenses.

District 5 Supervisor Dean Preston said the inclusion of a sunset clause convinced him to support the proposal. Preston stated that he’s typically wary of legislation that appears to stigmatize cannabis use, but the addition of the sunset clause helped assuage those fears.

“What was initially proposed was more of a longer term ban,” Preston said. “These amendments go a long way in creating more of a short term moratorium that was the original intention.”

Safai also took a few minutes to address arguments that his legislation amounts to stifling competition, saying that the current cannabis industry is not operating “in a free market” because pot businesses lack access to traditional banking services and illicit dealers still supply “60% of the market.”

The ordinance needs a second vote and the mayor’s signature before it becomes law. [Read More @ SFGate]