By Benjie Cooper
IG: @nuglifenews
YouTube: Lucid’s Vlog
The Vista City Council met on Tuesday to review and vote on, among other things, two items related to the implementation of Measure Z, a citizen’s initiative that passed in November and will allow up to eleven licensed dispensaries to operate in the city.
Voters chose Measure Z over the city council’s Measure BB which would have allowed the licensing of up to three medicinal cannabis delivery services in Vista.
During the public comment period, several speakers addressed the council on what they considered to be problematic or worrisome elements of Measure Z and offered possible solutions.
While the speakers’ concerns did not meet unsympathetic ears within the council, members explained that the initiative had become law through a public vote and that they lacked the power to change any of it.
“Unfortunately, we don’t have the authority to delete different lines that are within the policy that were (sic) voted in by the city,” said councilmember Joe Green in response. “So some of the stipulations that you guys would like us to change, unfortunately, we can’t. That’s the way the proposition was drawn up, that’s law and we have to abide by the law.”
Despite the concerns of the few that showed up to speak, the council voted unanimously to pass consent item 10 and adopt the city council’s resolution to establish the implementation calendar for Measure Z.
The council also voted to pass a discussion item to introduce and adopt an ordinance to amend Chapter 5.04 of the Vista Municipal Code to allow for the distribution of cannabis business licenses. Additionally, the item established a moratorium on marijuana-related uses in the city other than permitted by Measure Z.
Following the timeline presented in Section 5.94.060 of Measure Z, the city of Vista must create registration application forms and instructions within fifteen calendar days of the date of the adoption of the Article.
According to the council, if everything goes according to plan they anticipate being able to start issuing licenses by sometime around February 21-28.
