<PR Pond>
The Calaveras County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 to direct staff to create a Department of Cannabis Control Tuesday, the Calaveras Enterprise reports. The new agency would oversee cannabis licensing, background checks, and site inspections for the county.
District 4 Supervisor Dennis Mills and District 1 Supervisor Gary Tofanelli voted no, saying it was too soon to make such a move.
“The formation of this department is a singular act that will take the expertise of staff to pull that together,” Mills said. “I don’t know where (the ordinance) fits in the realm of a department that we don’t understand what it’s going to be, where it’s going to be, how it’s going to be funded, staffing, any piece of that, so it’s like we’ve got this ambiguous ball we’re looking at here, and we’re trying to shove stuff into it …”
The item was introduced by District 5 Supervisor Ben Stopper during a study session on new background checks for cannabis business employees, which have been recommended by both the county sheriff and DA. That’s one issue that all members seem to agree on. The DA has cited shocking crimes carried out by unvetted marijuana trimmers against growers.
There has been much back-and-forth about what would disqualify an employee from a position with a legal cannabis enterprise. You can read more about those discussions here.
The background check ordinance is scheduled for a first reading on Oct. 1.
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