Salinas Municipal Code Div. 6 Dispensaries

No more than five dispensaries may operate within the City of Salinas at any one time and no more than five permits shall be issued by the City of Salinas for dispensaries to operate within the City of Salinas at any one time. A single facility may sell both medicinal and adult-use products under a single permit.

(Ord. No. 2600 (NCS), § 1, 11-29-2017)

Upon approval by the City of Salinas, a permit authorizing a dispensary may also authorize the delivery products directly to customers in accordance with the requirements of division 8 of this article. Furthermore, a permit authorizing a dispensary may also authorize distribution at the facility, provided that said distribution shall be limited to transporting cannabis or cannabis product for retail sale by the dispensary. In neither case shall this accessory use require or be deemed a separate permit.

(Ord. No. 2600 (NCS), § 1, 11-29-2017)

All dispensaries shall comply with the following operating requirements:

(a) Dispensaries shall verify the age and all necessary documentation of each customer to ensure the customer is at least twenty-one years of age, except that patients purchasing cannabis or cannabis products for medicinal use may enter regardless of age if they possess a valid doctor's recommendation. Persons with an identification card that are under eighteen years of age must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

(b) Entrances into the dispensary shall be locked at all times with entry strictly controlled. A "buzz-in" electronic/mechanical entry system shall be utilized to limit access to and entry to the dispensary to separate it from the reception/lobby area. Individuals must show valid identification in order to gain access into the dispensary.

(c) The entrance to the commercial cannabis business shall be clearly and legibly posted with a notice that no person under the age of eighteen years of age is permitted to enter upon the premises of the commercial cannabis business unless they are in the presence of their parent or guardian and such person is a person with an identification card.

(d) Uniformed security personnel shall be employed to monitor site activity, control loitering and site access, and to serve as a visual deterrent to unlawful activities.

(e) Doctor recommendations are not to be provided at the dispensary.

(f) All restroom facilities shall remain locked and under the control of management.

(g) Sales of cannabis and cannabis products shall occur only between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., Monday through Sunday.

(h) All cannabis and cannabis products sold shall have been cultivated, manufactured, and transported by licensed facilities that maintain operations in full conformance with the state and local regulations.

(i) No edible cannabis products requiring refrigeration or hot-holding shall be sold or distributed. Baked products (e.g., brownies, bars, cookies, cakes), tinctures, and other non-refrigerated type items may be sold at the dispensary.

(j) Any edible cannabis or edible cannabis product shall be labelled and in tamper-evident packaging which at least meets the requirements of California Business and Professions Code section 26120, as the same may be amended from time-to-time or superseded or replaced by subsequent state legislation or by any department or division of the State of California.

(k) Any cannabis or cannabis product must be in an opaque (non-see-through) package, such as a bag, before it leaves the commercial cannabis business.

(l) Prior to dispensing medicinal cannabis or medicinal cannabis products to any person, the business shall obtain additional voice verification from the recommending physician's office that the person requesting cannabis or cannabis products is a qualified patient.

(m) The dispensary shall collect all sales and use taxes and/or transaction taxes required under local and/or state law, and shall remit those monies to the State of California for disbursement to the City of Salinas in accordance with established reporting principles. Any tax that has not been remitted to the city shall be deemed a debt owed to applicable state agencies and/or the City of Salinas by the person required to collect and remit the tax.

(n) Any delivery operations conducted by the dispensary shall comply with the requirements specified for delivery businesses as stipulated in division 8.

(o) The dispensary shall not engage solely in the adult-use market; a reasonable mix of medicinal cannabis and medicinal cannabis products shall be available for purchase to those with a physician's recommendation.

(Ord. No. 2600 (NCS), § 1, 11-29-2017; Ord. No. 2614(NCS), § 1, 1-8-19)