San Francisco officials plan to form a committee to monitor the city’s marijuana industry and assess its regulations and government oversight.
- Examine the work done by the city’s Office of Cannabis.
- Measure the impact of existing regulations on businesses and communities.
- Make recommendations to the Board of Supervisors and the mayor on regulatory changes.
- Track the permitting process, including how long it takes for companies to receive a business license.
- Ensure the city’s cannabis social equity program creates livable-wage jobs and approves retail permits for people “hardest hit by the war on drugs.”
Naomi Kelly, the city administrator in charge of the Office of Cannabis, initially opposed the new committee because it would require the agency to provide extensive data and reporting, with no additional funding, the Examiner reported.
Her concerns were addressed, and she no longer opposes the committee.
But Kelly noted in a letter to San Francisco supervisors that the Office of Cannabis has a “workload that has stretched (it) thin,” making it difficult to approve new permits, coordinate enforcement and implement the city’s social equity program.