Hanford OKs bump in number of weed shops

With two recreational cannabis dispensaries up and running in Hanford, a third will soon be on its way.

The Hanford City Council, by a 3-2 vote, approved a resolution which added one more license to the city.

The additional permit comes after HerbNJoy and Caliva finally kick-started operations within the last few months, multiple years after permits were first awarded.

Hanford Police Chief Parker Sever presented the resolution to the council Tuesday evening, noting that an additional dispensary could result in more tax revenue for the city, which was one of the main draws for the supporters on the council when the item was first discussed a couple weeks ago.

This time around, the councilmembers did not offer up any further comments and immediately went ahead with the vote.

In addition to the license increase, the City Council also unanimously passed a resolution which amends the city’s cannabis permitting process to make it run more smoothly.

According to the staff report, the city staff believes that the changes will allow the city to respond quicker to requests by the council and applicants regarding the process.

The resolution made the following seven amendments to the ordinance: 

1. The specific permitting period has been eliminated. Instead, applications will be submitted on an on-going basis. Each applicant that scores high enough in the city’s rating process will be recommended for a permit. 
2. Applicants will be awarded a permit by the city, which will be handled by a position designated by the city manager. 
3. The city has additional discretion to have an applicant correct the application instead of facing immediate rejection. 
4. The city council will hear all appeals to the city staff. 
5. The application process will be established by city staff and not by a council resolution. 
6. An additional 10 to 20 days notice to surrounding property owners has been implemented. 
7. Moving forward, a dispensary that has been awarded a license cannot sell its license to another entity without going through the same application process.