County’s cannabis program manager makes Sonoma visit

Tim Ricard, the Sonoma County cannabis program manager, speaks at the March 12 meeting of the Sonoma Valley Cannabis Enthusiasts, 3 p.m. at the Hopmonk Tavern in Sonoma.

Open to the public, the gathering will offer a Q and A with Ricard, who handles permitting and compliance for marijuana grows. The county office was created to facilitate the new industry, but the projected tax revenues from legal cannabis have not met projections since the product was legalized.

“We are focusing on allowing cultivators, distributors and manufacturers to become compliant with county and state regulations,” Ricard told The Chronicle. “An above-board industry provides better health and safety, and it really allows it to contribute positively to our local economic development.”

The SVCE itself is not about policy or politics, according to Michael Coates, one of its founding members. Rather it was formed of cannabis business owners, growers and like-minds to “elevate the quality and reputation of cannabis grown in Sonoma Valley.” Coats likens the group to the Sonoma Valley vintners and growers, “but for cannabis.”

Ricard, he said, is not a policy guy, (that’s the Board of Supervisors) but “he will update us on the latest and the greatest.”

Hopmonk is at 691 Broadway in Sonoma.