Marin County Applications Coming Soon

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Marin County Applications Coming Soon” google_fonts=”font_family:Merriweather%3A300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic%2C900%2C900italic|font_style:300%20light%20regular%3A300%3Anormal”][vc_column_text]Marin County dispensary applications are to be released within a few weeks. The County, north of the Golden Gate Bridge, will issue up to four (4) delivery-only medical cannabis retailer licenses in the unincorporated areas of Marin.

History: The Marin County Board of Supervisors, in anticipation of the California Legislature passing a group of bills known collectively as MCRSA, began giving direction for potential regulation of medical marijuana businesses as early as June of 2015 (you can see the full history of the Marin Medicinal Cannabis Program here).  In the summer of 2016 the County was accepting cannabis license applications for store-front dispensaries. This seemed to align nicely with the wants of the nearly 70% of registered Marin County voters who voted in favor of the Adult-Use of Marijuana Act (Prop 64). However, upon further review the county rejected submitted dispensary applications, deciding that medicinal cannabis delivery-only retailers, MCDORe for short, better matched the needs of Marin County residents. The County staff went back to the drawing board and on November 14th, 2017 the Board of Supervisors approved an ordinance outlining MCDORe licensing.

Location: Proposed cannabis operations allowed under the current regulations are restricted to the following zones – C1 (retail business), CP (planned commercial), AP (administrative and professional), OP (planned office), IP (industrial planned). There is an additional buffer of 600 feet from playgrounds to go along with the 600-foot buffer from schools, day care centers, or youth centers that the state requires.

Current Application: Earlier this month the Medicinal Cannabis Program Manager, Inge Lundegaard, held a briefing to review the draft license application forms in anticipation of having the final version available by the end of April.  Once available, the application submittal window will last roughly 4 weeks.

Here are some highlights you should know if you are thinking of applying for a Marin MCDORe License:

  • The application is set up similar to the state annual license to allow for fluidity between Marin local licensing and state licensing.
  • Owners: All owners, as defined in 26001 of the Business and Professions Code, must complete a Department of Justice Live Scan.
  • Financial Interest: Applicants must disclose all non-owners with financial interest in the cannabis company.
  • Scoring: Applications will be scored on a 100-point scale broken down as such: 20 points for the business plan, 30 points for the public benefits plan, and 50 points for the operations plan. You must get 80% or more to advance to the next phase. You can appeal your scoring if necessary.
  • Public Benefits: The County is placing an emphasis on aiding not only patients, but the community as well. Extremely qualified applications will adeptly address topics including, but not limited to: community & patient relations, giving back to the community, cannabis education of employees, patients, and the community, and environmentally friendly practices.
  • Equity Applicant: While not required, being a current Marin resident with residency of at least 5 years, having an annual income of less than 80% of Marin’s average-median-income-adjusted-for-household-size, and/or employing Marin residents, veterans, people with disabilities, or those living in a “disadvantaged community” will only help your application by adding to you total score
  • Submittal: To submit an application you must schedule an appointment with the Program Manager – make sure you allow enough time for this meeting to take place between the completion of your application and the deadline for submittal.

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