Colfax to expand cannabis policy to include adult use

With the last consideration of the permissible scope of cannabis policy in Colfax having occurred only five months ago, the City Council again broached discussions during its July 26 meeting but came to a new conclusion. Currently, Colfax only allows retail for medicinal cannabis, with Golden State Patient Care (GSPC) as the sole licensee. In February 2021, the council approved the issuance of a commercial cannabis cultivation business permit to Fireworx Farms, LLC. Colfax City Attorney Mick Cabral said staff was asked to bring forward a policy-level discussion for Colfax Municipal Code 5.32, which is the primary cannabis regulatory scheme in the city. Cabral confirmed the council could decide to make no changes to the ordinance, repeal it or make changes to any aspect of the policy, including the allowable allocations for licenses or add adult use as a permissible scope. The council allowed two members of the Dion family, who own and operate the only cannabis retail store in Colfax, and representatives from the Placer County Sheriff's Office and CHP to share arguments regarding adult use. "We would like to operate the way the rest of the state does and that is a retail cannabis dispensary that serves the community state-tested, regulated, child-proof-packaged, compliant-labeled products," Nick Dion said. "This is the safest way to purchase cannabis. Our system is already set up for adult-use sales. It has strict limits on what adult-use customers can purchase. If we were to be allowed adult use, none of our products we sell would change." Lt. Stacy Renegar, representing the Sheriff's Office, stated, "Our Sheriff's Office firmly maintains its stance on this issue opposing the presence of marijuana dispensaries in Placer County. One crucial aspect of this matter that we must consider is the connection between marijuana and the dangerous practice of lacing it with fentanyl. Due to the restrictions on flavored tobacco in our state, marijuana has, unfortunately, become the substance of choice for lacing with fentanyl. Consequently, an increase in marijuana availability, whether through legal or illegal means, poses a higher risk of fentanyl-laced marijuana circulating within our community." Renegar also read a letter of opposition on behalf of Placer County District Attorney Morgan Gire into the record. The council received 13 comments in chambers, which included noting the Dion family has followed regulations throughout the operation of GSPC, Colfax being behind in times by not allowing adult use, law enforcement cannot test someone under the influence of marijuana and requests to allow adult use as well as to wait on making a decision. Colfax City Clerk Marguerite Bailey confirmed the city received 18 comments via email and all were in support of allowing adult use. Bailey also confirmed emailed comments noted the possibility of increased tax revenue and access to medicine, safety of products, environmental impact on driving further to access products and the Dions being outstanding community members. Councilmember Larry Hillberg noted regulation may be a way forward to dealing with demand and he supported local business and what the Dion family was doing with their business. Councilmember Caroline McCully noted Colfax "can't bury our heads in the sand" and could "go with the flow" to see what benefits there are for the community. Mayor Pro Tem Kim Douglass confirmed he would prefer to let the voters decide instead of the topic being ignited every time there are new faces on the council. Douglass also confirmed his opinion would be changed "drastically" if a device to detect whether drivers were under the influence existed. Mayor Trinity Burruss noted a major problem she saw is access other than through GSPC would be via delivery from Sacramento. "Sacramento is notoriously - I don't know what you want to call their regulations, but I'm just going to say it's not my cup of tea. I don't trust Sacramento to make our decisions for us," Burruss said, noting she would like to see the license changed to a more restrictive scope to sell to individuals 21 and over only and change the scope from medicinal to adult use to be "honest about what it is," as she believes it is not medicine for most individuals. Nick Dion confirmed the medicinal scope allows for the higher dosage some of their patients need. Councilmember Sean Lomen noted Colfax currently has no regulation over what comes into the city. Lomen also said he felt the Dions have proven themselves reliable but did not want to make any changes to the ordinance. After deliberations, McCully suggested they allow GSPC to have both license scopes on a trial basis. Hillberg seconded McCully's direction. Burruss noted she was supportive of the direction and would like to see how things progress with a 12-month pilot period. With three council members in support, Burruss confirmed staff would move forward with the direction. A drafted ordinance will be provided for council's consideration at a future meeting. Cabral noted if the ordinance is introduced on Aug. 23 and adopted on Sept. 13, the ordinance could be effective Oct. 13 (30 days after adoption).