Santa Clara City Council members voted to ban all cannabis-related activity in a 5-1 vote on Feb 11.<\/p>\n
Santa Clara residents will now watch on from the bench as other California cities embrace the booming cannabis industry.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere’s room to discuss options other than a ban and gauge residents’ feelings further,\u201d said Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gillmore as quoted on the San Jose Spotlight website.<\/p>\n
City officials claimed the decision does not contradict voters\u2019 2018 approval of Measure M, which authorized a 10% tax on recreational cannabis sales. San Jose Spotlight reported that the measure simply asked whether the city should collect taxes if a cannabis program were to be established.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you’re going to profit off of something that’s been putting people in jail for decades, those people should be let out first,\u201d San Jose City College student Skylar Williams said.<\/p>\n
Spotlight reported the provisional ban is to help ensure the city and its beneficiaries have time to consider how much they will benefit financially if and when sales are approved.<\/p>\n
\u201cCannabis is here \u2014 the nose never fails to tell you \u2014 whether we like it or not,\u201d Councilmember Teresa O\u2019Neill said. \u201c I don’t know that I’m ready for a ban, but maybe we put a pause on it and waste all the effort that has gone into it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mayor Gillmor said she expects negative fallout from residents and groups that supported Measure M. It allows the city to levy a 10% tax on recreational cannabis sales and a $25-per-square-foot tax on space for pot cultivation, San Jose Spotlight reported.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy are you gonna ban something when the laws have already been passed?\u201d SJCC student Justin Gregory said.<\/p>\n
Founder of Silicon Valley Cannabis Alliance Sean Kali-Rai said the ban ignores the Measure M vote and wastes years of effort and research into regulations for legalized cannabis activity.<\/p>\n