California legislator scraps bill to hike number of cannabis retail licenses

California Assemblyman Phil Ting has shelved a measure to increase the number of marijuana retail licenses in the state, having lacked the two-thirds vote he needed to pass the bill.

Assembly Bill 1356 would have required some cities and counties that had banned commercial cannabis to open their doors to the industry.

Ting plans to reintroduce the bill next year, the Los Angeles Times reported.

If Assembly Bill 1356 had passed, a study predicted it would have nearly tripled number of marijuana retail shops in the state, which would have added $2.1 billion in cannabis sales, according to the Times.

Members of the industry expected to the bill to face opposition and high hurdles in the Legislature.

To read more about Assembly Bill 1356, click here.