The Coast News Group
cannabis
By waiting to take up the issue the council will miss a deadline to accept up to $75,000 in cannabis-related grant funding. File photo
CitiesEscondido

Escondido council to revisit cannabis issue on May 19

ESCONDIDO — The Escondido City Council is set to revisit a discussion on legalizing cannabis sales at its May 19 meeting, one week after the deadline for up to $75,000 in Cannabis Equity Act Grant funding.

The resolution to potentially legalize cannabis sales in the city of Escondido was on the council agenda on March 24, as well as a resolution to accept up to $75,000 in grant funding. The council, however, voted 3-2 to postpone the discussion to a later date.

Councilman Mike Morasco proposed postponing the discussion and was supported by fellow council members Tina Inscoe and Joe Garcia.

The grant would allow the city to “develop a cannabis equity assessment, with the aim of crafting regulations to encourage permit applications from individuals and businesses disadvantaged by previous drug enforcement activities. … The City would aim to create a program that would develop these businesses and allow them to flourish legally,” said the staff report.

The deadline for accepting the grant is May 12.

At the March meeting, Councilwoman Consuelo Martinez and Mayor Paul McNamara encouraged their fellow council members to revisit the issue before the grant deadline.

However, City Manager Jeffrey Epp told The Coast News that the scheduling was largely based on council timing and available dates.

He added that grants like this come and go and there will likely be other opportunities for the council to consider similar grants.

Emotions ran high at the March meeting when the council only briefly touched on the cannabis issue. The more in-depth discussion on May 19 is expected to be a contentious one.

The Escondido council currently has a conservative majority with Republicans Morasco, Inscoe and Garcia holding the majority of seats.

Despite the council officially being a nonpartisan office, members’ political leanings and philosophies tend to play a part in the council’s agendas and voting patterns.

In 2018, the council unanimously voted to prohibit the sale and cultivation of cannabis in the city. That was a different council than the one that is seated now.

“When the State of California legalized recreational cannabis, Escondido was one of several cities to specifically prohibit the production and sale of cannabis products within their jurisdictions,” the staff report said. “In Escondido, 52% of local voters supported the Proposition 64 statewide measure in 2016; the City’s Resident Satisfaction Survey, conducted in June 2020, showed general support of commercial cannabis sales. “

During the last discussion, city staff brought up the concern that several organizations have already indicated that they would put the issue on the ballot if the council doesn’t address it soon.

“Cannabis regulations adopted by voter initiative leave a city with little control over the form of regulation, and yet the city still bears responsibility for administering the same regulations. Moreover, regulations left to adoption by initiative offer no guarantee of a funding mechanism to cover the costs of administration,” according to the staff report.

This is what occurred in Vista in 2018.

 

 

 

 

 

1 comment

Brian Kelly May 5, 2021 at 6:23 am

Marijuana consumers deserve and demand equal rights and protections under our laws that are currently afforded to the drinkers of far more dangerous and deadly, yet perfectly legal, widely accepted, endlessly advertised and even glorified as an All-American pastime, alcohol.

Plain and simple!

Legalize Nationwide!

It’s time for us, the majority of The People to take back control of our national marijuana policy. By voting OUT of office any and all politicians who very publicly and vocally admit to having an anti-marijuana, prohibitionist agenda! Time to vote’em all OUT of office. Period. Plain and simple.

Politicians who continue to demonize Marijuana, Corrupt Law Enforcement Officials who prefer to ruin peoples lives over Marijuana possession rather than solve real crimes who fund their departments toys and salaries with monies acquired through Marijuana home raids, seizures and forfeitures, and so-called “Addiction Specialists” who make their income off of the judicial misfortunes of our citizens who choose marijuana, – Your actions go against The Will of The People and Your Days In Office Are Numbered! Find new careers before you don’t have one.

The People have spoken! Get on-board with Marijuana Legalization Nationwide, or be left behind and find new careers. Your choice.

The “War on Marijuana” has been a complete and utter failure. It is the largest component of the broader yet equally unsuccessful “War on Drugs” that has cost our country over a trillion dollars.

Instead of The United States wasting Billions upon Billions more of our yearly tax dollars fighting a never ending “War on Marijuana”, lets generate Billions of dollars, and improve the deficit instead. It’s a no brainer.

The Prohibition of Marijuana has also ruined the lives of many of our loved ones. In numbers greater than any other nation, our loved ones are being sent to jail and are being given permanent criminal records. Especially, if they happen to be of the “wrong” skin color or they happen to be from the “wrong” neighborhood. Which ruin their chances of employment for the rest of their lives, and for what reason?

Marijuana is much safer to consume than alcohol. Yet do we lock people up for choosing to drink?

Let’s end this hypocrisy now!

The government should never attempt to legislate morality by creating victim-less marijuana “crimes” because it simply does not work and costs the taxpayers a fortune.

Marijuana Legalization Nationwide is an inevitable reality that’s approaching much sooner than prohibitionists think and there is nothing they can do to stop it!

Legalize Nationwide! Support Each and Every Marijuana Legalization Initiative!

Comments are closed.