San Francisco Creates 'Office of Cannabis'

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors agreed during budget negotiations to establish an office responsible for overseeing recreational cannabis operations in the city. The Office of Cannabis will handle license applications, liaise with state regulators, and provide public information, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. It will also be tasked with considering the impact of its operation on communities most impacted by federal drug laws:

Several supervisors expressed concerns that the marijuana industry would come to resemble the tech industry in San Francisco — largely white and male … [and] feared that the people who were most harmed by U.S. drug policies would be excluded from the cannabis business.

In addition to a dedicated office, the city funded five new positions at the Department of Public Health to help oversee medical cannabis dispensaries.