I am very unhappy with the current state of affairs within the cannabis community and local government. I am a 46-year resident of Sonoma and Sonoma Valley and have been active in local government both as a commissioner and a 16-year councilman and mayor. I have raised four beautiful children here in Sonoma, along with my dear wife Jewel. We have participated directly in each and every cannabis-focused meeting in the pursuit of providing the City of Sonoma with proper dispensaries to serve medical patients and recreational cannabis users.
We are now arguing over whether there should be two dispensaries to serve the population or just one. Frankly, this disagreement is severely harshing my buzz. My tried and true method of dealing with conflict is to have a meeting to deal with the issues. It’s okay with me if folks do not want to do this. I can stay on my porch, look out onto the Fryer Creek bike and pedestrian path, and smoke my American Spirits and 2020 cannabis.
— Ken Brown, president, Sonoma Valley Cannabis Enthusiasts
I support Ken’s effort. As we know, the latest issue regarding cannabis business in the city of Sonoma concerns amending the current ordinance to allow one additional walk-in retail dispensary. Ken supports a second dispensary, as would Jewel. I, too, support this, as does the vast majority of the 200+ members of the Sonoma Valley Cannabis Group. Judging by all the positive reaction to Ken’s Letter to the Editor (IT and Sonoma Sun) which was posted to the Springs Community Group on Facebook, there is a substantial number of Springs/Hwy 12 corridor residents who also favor two walk-in retail dispensaries. This is not just a Sonoma issue. It also concerns the other, nearly 35,000 residents of the southern Valley who live close by and often shop in our city. We can easily support a second dispensary.
We believe a competitive environment results in better prices, more product choices, higher quality products and services. Competition is a healthy part of any industry. No single business should be allowed to monopolize the market space.
Gil Latimer – Sonoma Valley Cannabis Group
Cannabis is legal, folks. We don’t limit the number of clothing stores, or souvenir shops, or wineries so why is there such a flap about two dispensaries? I truly don’t understand the lack of logic here. I stand 100% with Ken Brown and Gil Latimer on this issue. If the City Council can’t deal with cannabis let’s please change the City Council so that the law and will of the people is heard and upheld.
i will be checking to see if cannabis is on the agenda for the next city council meeting on 12-14. If so, I will tune in and speak. I hope more people will also. What many do not know is that an ordinance has been passed and a selection process was completed to select one operator for a cannabis dispensary. I will not go into all the things that happened to stall the process, you can read that here in the Sun or the IT. In the beginning Dave and I both thought that two dispensaries would be right for a town our size. Dave even wrote to the planning commission with his reasoning to consider two. We need to speak up and let the new make up of the city council know that we need to get back on track, and also amend the ordinance to consider permitting a second dispensary. In the process two viable locations were identified, so there is no reason why this can’t get done. And please remember with Rachel Hundley stepping down at the end of January, there will be an opening on the city council. Ken?