Lawsuit over California marijuana deliveries continues

A landmark legal battle over marijuana delivery operations in California won’t be settled anytime soon.

That’s the upshot Thursday from a short hearing on the case in Fresno, where representatives from the state attorney general’s office faced off with lawyers from 25 local governments that are trying to neuter a California policy allowing cannabis businesses to deliver products into any jurisdiction they wish – regardless of local MJ business bans.

Instead of handing out a decision, Judge Rosemary McGuire of the Fresno County Superior Court issued a tentative ruling and scheduled further briefing deadlines for both sides to argue whether the case is ripe for litigation.

The judge will hear arguments Nov. 16.

Multiple California marijuana delivery companies have said in the past year that their ability to deliver into any jurisdiction is “critical” to their bottom lines because roughly two-thirds of California’s local governments maintain bans on commercial cannabis companies.

But attorneys watching the case have also predicted that whichever side loses is certain to appeal, meaning the case could drag on for years until being decided by the state Supreme Court.