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Council Action Bans Marijuana Dispensaries
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By a 5-0 vote, members of the Escalon City Council on Monday night approved an ordinance banning the commercial sale of marijuana through dispensaries in the city.

The ordinance, adopted unanimously by the council following a public hearing as part of the regular City Council meeting, also bans outdoor grows.

“Just as we have banned the outdoor medical grows, this bans the outdoor recreational grows,” explained Escalon City Manager Tammy Alcantor, adding that residents can still use it; they just can’t grow it outdoors.

Proposition 64, passed by voters, allows for recreational use of marijuana but individual cities also have a say; Escalon officials opted for the banning of outdoor grows and dispensaries.

“Voting in the city showed that residents were against Prop 64,” Alcantor said of the election results.

There are provisions in the proposition that allow for indoor grows, said Alcantor, and those are not impacted by the council’s Monday night vote, as long as they meet the requirements and established guidelines.

There were some questions and concerns from the audience during the public hearing, concerns indicating the city would also block usage but Alcantor said the council was looking more at being sensitive to residents.

“Because of the odor and the complaints we have received from people,” she said of the impetus for the council moving to ban the outdoor grows.

Adopted by the council on Aug. 4, the ordinance takes effect 30 days after adoption.

 

As written, the ordinance approved by the council “Bans all Recreational Marijuana-Related Businesses, including Marijuana Dispensaries, Delivery Services, and Marijuana Retail Services and Outdoor Cultivation, along with Restrictions Regarding Cultivation of Recreational Marijuana, within the Limits Allowed due to Passage of Adult Use of Marijuana Act, AUMA.