San Francisco Resumes Medical Marijuana Licensing Program

Under clarified rules, existing dispensaries must sign a statement swearing that all medical marijuana sold on-site is cultivated in California and comes from a grower who is a member of the dispensary's nonprofit collective.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – San Francisco’s roller-coaster ride with its medical marijuana permitting program continued Monday, when the City’s Department of Public Health announced its dispensary licensing program had resumed processing applications and inspecting medical marijuana collectives.

The move comes after the agency said last week that the application process was suspended, and had been for over a month.

Dispensary applications had been on hold since December, when a state appellate court ruled that cities and counties violated federal law when they licensed medical marijuana clubs.

That ruling was put on hold on Jan. 18, when the California Supreme Court agreed to hear an appeal. San Francisco’s dispensary program was given the green light to continue licensing pot clubs Jan. 20, but the department had announced last week that all applications were still on hold indefinitely while “clarity” was sought.

City dispensaries are now prohibited from selling marijuana or marijuana products made by a different collective or cooperative, and all products must come from a “non-commercial” entity.

San Francisco, who currently has 21 dispensaries, became the first city in California to license dispensaries when the Board of Supervisors passed the Medical Cannabis Act in 2005.

Since November, five dispensaries have closed after receiving warning letters from Melinda Haag, the U.S. attorney for Northern California.