Pot businesses banned in Pismo Beach — for now

Marijuana businesses will have to continue to wait before setting up shop in Pismo Beach.

The Pismo Beach City Council approved an urgency ordinance at its meeting Nov. 15 to ban manufacturing, processing, laboratory testing, labeling, storing and wholesale and retail distribution of cannabis, in response to the passage of Proposition 64 early this month, which legalized recreational marijuana.

The ordinance, which lasts for 45 days, was meant as a stop-gap while the city works to draft regulations for marijuana businesses. City attorney David Fleishman said the city has already had several inquiries from those interested in opening cannabis businesses in town, and the measure will act as a “safety measure” prohibiting those businesses until Pismo has time to decide its stance on recreational marijuana.

Technically, cannabis-related businesses are not yet legal anywhere in California — Proposition 64 held specific restrictions that required all cannabis businesses to be licensed through the state, something that isn’t expected to happen until 2018. Fleishman said that hasn’t stopped at least one person from attempting to obtain a business licenses for a cannabis establishment.

“They can’t do this consistent with state law — that doesn’t mean they aren’t attempting to open them,” he said. “Without a type of ordinance in place, someone may come in and assume they have the right, because they misunderstand state law.”

Councilman Erik Howell was the lone vote against the ordinance, saying he didn’t see the urgency in the situation.

“Forgive me, the resolution just reads as hysteria,” he said.

The ordinance will likely go before the council again in December for a time extension.

This story was originally published November 24, 2016 at 3:20 PM with the headline "Pot businesses banned in Pismo Beach — for now."