Confused about local cannabis laws? SLO County wants to hear from you

If you’re confused about state laws and local regulations regarding commercial cannabis, you’re not alone.

“A lot of people don’t know what’s legal or where it’s legal,” Whitney Szentesi, a communications analyst with San Luis Obispo County, said. “We want to create more clarity on laws. Before we can do that, we need to understand where the confusion is.”

In that effort, she’s pushing an online survey and kindly asks for your participation. You can find the survey at surveymonkey.com/r/CountySLOCannabis2017.

Here is an overview of the new laws:

▪  On Monday, commercial sales of recreational marijuana will be legal for businesses that have been licensed by the state of California. That’s a result of Proposition 64, which voters passed in 2016.

▪  The system gives power to local jurisdictions — cities and counties — to create rules and regulations over the cannabis industry.

▪  San Luis Obispo County passed an ordinance that goes into effect Sunday. That rule only applies to unincorporated areas of the county. In other words, every area of the county outside of these cities: Arroyo Grande, Atascadero, Grover Beach, Morro Bay, Paso Robles, Pismo Beach and San Luis Obispo.

▪  The county ordinance allows businesses to apply for a conditional land-use permit to operate various kinds of commercial cannabis activities in certain zones. It also restricts personal gardens to six plants that must be grown indoors, such as in a house or garage.

Learn more about SLO County’s cannabis rules on their website.

This story was originally published December 30, 2017 at 1:04 PM with the headline "Confused about local cannabis laws? SLO County wants to hear from you."