County Fair Marijuana Sales Now Possible in California

According to a recent news article from the Fresno Bee, a California State Senate bill (SB-94) has just passed and become law after it was signed by Governor Jerry Brown.  This law was a big deal, as it combined the regulation of medical marijuana and recreational marijuana into a single set of laws.  Make no mistake about it, this is a massive bill, as we have discussed in other posts on this blog, however, there are some clauses have not been making headlines.

One of the provisions in the new bill will allow for cannabis to be sold on fairgrounds that are owned by the state of California, as long as it is during a state or county fair and during private events.  However, there are various conditions before one can sell marijuana on these state-owned fairgrounds.As our Riverside marijuana industry lawyers can explain, a permit must first be secured before any marijuana can be sold. If the vendor is trying to obtain a permit to sell cannabis at a county fair, there must be an enclosed space that is designated for the sale of marijuana.  This means that there will be no open-air pot markets at the local county fair.

While this can be good news for those wishing to sell cannabis at the local fair, and for those who want to purchase it, there is some question if it will actually happen. The reason for this is because the permitting and construction of an indoor space that will be designated for the sale of marijuana will be at the discretion of the governing boards of the individual county fairs and will be overseen by the CEO of the fair and the other management personnel.

This may be a problem, because when interviewed as part of this article, not too many people in a position to do anything were all that eager to allow for the sale of marijuana at their respective fairs. Some said they have not had time to review all of what this entails and will certainly not be issuing any permits around the first of next year when recreational use of marijuana becomes legal.  They said they will look into the issue and take opinions from those on the fair board and in the community.  Others said they are concerned about other regulations such as zoning and land use laws that may prevent them from issuing permits even if they wanted.

All of this being said, it will probably happen eventually, but it may take quite a bit of time.  There is no question that the majority of the population who votes in California wanted the passage of Proposition 64, which legalized recreational use of marijuana for adults, but there are still many conservatives who disagree with this.  It is likely that at least some if not most of those who have been on the boards of various county fairs might be more on the conservative side.

The Los Angeles CANNABIS LAW Group represents growers, dispensaries, collectives, patients and those facing marijuana charges. Call us at 949-375-4734.

Additional Resources:

A new state law allows pot sales at county fairs, but will yours go green?, June 29, 2017, By Rory Appleton, Fresno Bee

More Blog Entries:
Report: Colorado Marijuana Laws May Not be Safe, Feb. 5, 2017, L.A. Marijuana Lawyer Blog