By Victoria Martinez

The Solvang City Council has decided to allow one or more medical cannabis dispensaries in the city while banning all other types of marijuana business activity.

The council voted 4-1 on Aug. 13 to approve a first reading of amendments to a medical cannabis ordinance, with only Mayor Jim Richardson dissenting. The council also approved the first reading of an ordinance that would ban all other types cannabis activity in the city.

To make the decisions official, the council will have to approve a second reading of the new ordinance language on Aug. 27. Otherwise, the city will have no rules in place to regulate cannabis when a temporary ordinance expires.

The new ordinance restricts medical cannabis dispensaries to the city’s only C-3 commercial zone, at the city’s western edge, and allows the council to heavily regulate the activity taking there. Permits to operate would be issued for only one year at a time, and a variety of fees would be established for such businesses to operate. The council can also set a limit, by a simple resolution, on how many medical cannabis businesses would be allowed.

Facing the end of a temporary ban on such activity in the city, on July 23 the council dropped a plan to ban all cannabis sales in favor of allowing one or more medical cannabis dispensaries.

Though some residents had concerns about the necessity of a medical cannabis dispensary in the city and whether the issues surrounding cannabis outweighed the benefits of allowing such a business, the majority of those present at the Aug. 13 meeting supported allowing a medical cannabis dispensary. They included both residents and some valley residents already involved in the medical cannabis industry.

“I appreciate your courage and compassion in considering a medical dispensary,” Solvang resident Steve Brown said.

Mayor Jim Richardson, who has been vehemently against allowing a medical cannabis dispensary within city limits, took the time to explain his position more in depth before voting against the ordinance.

“I believe that this ordinance is probably a good ordinance,” Richardson said, but “I’m of the opinion it’s not (good) for the branding of Solvang. It’s not the way to go”

Richardson said he had done his own research on relevant state laws and on the medical benefits of certain forms of cannabis, but he ultimately took issue with Solvang being known as the only city in the valley selling marijuana.

Buellton has already prohibited all recreational and medical cannabis activity within city limits.

In September 2016, before the Adult Use Marijuana Act went to California voters that November, the Solvang council proactively approved an urgency ordinance forbidding all cannabis activity within the city other than private, adult, indoor use. That urgency ordinance will expire in September and cannot be renewed.

In May, the council took up the issue of establishing more comprehensive cannabis regulations but rejected a second reading of such an ordinance at the end of the month and asked the city’s Planning Commission to examine possible locations for medical cannabis dispensaries. Some council members noted the medical benefits and the fact that many residents within city limits are already receiving medicinal cannabis deliveries legally or traveling to acquire it.

“I don’t want to necessarily adopt a restrictive ordinance right away,” said Councilmember Ryan Toussaint at that May 29 meeting.

On July 2, the Planning Commission recommended the C-3 commercial zone, at the southwest end of town, for medical cannabis sales.

At a special meeting on the same day, the council approved putting a cannabis business tax measure on the November ballot, which would allow the city to collect a 5 percent minimum tax and 10 percent maximum tax with a maximum 1 percent increase per year from such businesses.