Marijuana dispensary fees in San Diego absurd; deputies would have to spend 80 days per dispensary on compliance

San Diego’s Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to impose more than $11,000 in annual fees on dispensaries, according to the LaJolla Light.

Our Los Angeles medical marijuana dispensary lawyers represent patients and collectives throughout Southern California. We currently represent more than a dozen dispensaries in Los Angeles and the surrounding areas. Whether the issues is prohibition, city or county ordinances, or excessive taxation, the message is the same: Collectives and dispensaries must aggressively fight for their rights if they wish to survive.
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As we reported late last year on our Marijuana Lawyer Blog, Los Angeles city council is attempting to tax dispensaries, despite passing an ordinance that seeks to force more than 80 percent of them out of business.

The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department reports the $11,017 fee per dispensary is based on what it costs the Sheriff’s Department for investigation, permitting and compliance checks.

In recruiting new officers, the department advertises wages for veteran deputies (those with more than 5 years experience) starting at $35 an hour. Assuming the sheriff assigns veteran officers to such critical tasks as babysitting legally operating marijuana businesses, it would take 314 man hours to cost $11,000 an hour.

In other words, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office is asserting that policing each marijuana dispensary requires nearly 40 work days per year — or about 8 work weeks of an officer’s time per dispensary!

A rookie officer could spend 500 hours, or 62 workdays per dispensary.

The fees in San Francisco are $11,443. They are $8,539 in Los Angeles.

The amendment would also require dispensary operators to be fingerprinted. Dispensaries also must be located at least 1,000 feet from schools, parks and other specified areas.

The CANNABIS LAW GROUP offers experienced and aggressive representation to the medical marijuana industry in Southern California– including growers, dispensaries and collectives, patients and those facing marijuana charges. Call 949-375-4734 for a confidential consultation to discuss your rights.

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