Local Jurisdictions File Suit Over Cannabis Delivery Regulations

Earlier this month, 24 cities, and the County of Santa Cruz, filed suit in Fresno County Superior Court against the California Bureau of Cannabis Control (BCC) in response to the BCC’s adoption of regulations that allow for state-licensed cannabis firms to deliver their products to any physical address in California, including in cities and counties that have opted to not allow commercial cannabis activity within their jurisdictions. The lawsuit asks the court to rule on the state regulations because they are “inconsistent with the statutory authority of local jurisdictions to regulate or prohibit the delivery of commercial marijuana to a physical address within their boundaries.” To date, 161 of California’s 482 cities, have allowed commercial cannabis activity along with 24 of California’s 58 counties.

Also of note, Assembly Member Ken Cooley introduced AB 1530 to allow local jurisdictions to ban or restrict the delivery of cannabis within their jurisdictions; however, the bill failed passage in the Assembly Business and Professions Committee earlier this month on a split vote with a third of the committee members voting in favor of the measure, a third voting against the measure, and a third not recording a vote. The bill is likely dead for the year.