Cannabis Information

The City of San Diego’s Cannabis Equity Program will be designed to lower barriers to cannabis licensing for those hardest hit by the War on Drugs to promote equitable access and ownership opportunities. The Cannabis Equity Program will be developed and implemented in the following phases:

• PHASE 1 – Submission of Equity Grant Applications to Fund Assessment, Stakeholder Engagement/Outreach and Program Development. COMPLETED.

  In 2021, the City received a $75,000 GO-Biz grant from the State of California to conduct a cannabis equity assessment to support and promote equitable ownership and employment opportunities in the legal cannabis industry in communities disproportionately impacted by cannabis prohibition or criminalization. The Cannabis Business Division and the City’s Department of Race and Equity are leading the effort to implement the equity assessment.

• PHASE 2a: Data Analysis and Assessment – December 2022 thru March 2022 - UNDERWAY
• PHASE 2b: Community and Stakeholder Outreach – May 2022 thru July 2022
• PHASE 3: Development of Cannabis Equity Plan including: 

1. Goals and Policies, Recommendations and Strategies 
2. Final Equity Plan completed by September 2022
3. City Council Review – September 2022

• PHASE 4: Implementation – Winter 2022

1. Equity Applicant Education and Training 
2. Technical Assistance
3. Potential City and State funding, including grant opportunities

• PHASE 5: Monitoring and Reporting

1. Annual reports to Council Committee on cannabis equity program progress

These facilities include operations involving:

• Agricultural raising, harvesting and processing of cannabis;
• Wholesale distribution and storage of cannabis and cannabis products; and/or
• Production of goods from cannabis and cannabis products is consistent with the California departments of Food and Agriculture, Consumer Affairs and Public Health.

Restrictions

• Facilities are limited to a maximum of 40 Citywide.
• Retail sales and testing are prohibited. 
• Must be located:
  • 1,000 feet from resource- or population-based city parks, churches, childcare centers, playgrounds, libraries, minor-oriented facilities, residential care facilities and schools; and
  • 100 feet from residential zones.
• There are no separation requirements from other Facilities or Cannabis Outlets.

Permit Process
A Conditional Use Permit is required in accordance with a Process Three decision by the Hearing Officer. The Hearing Officer’s decision is appealable to the Planning Commission. For more details, including a summary of the Facility permitting process, and links to helpful information, refer to  Information Bulletin 171.

Permitted Locations
This map identifies Cannabis Production Facilities' addresses with approved Conditional Use Permit numbers, associated discretionary project numbers, and dates of approval.

Cannabis Outlets are establishments (retail, medicinal or combination) operating with a Conditional Use Permit where cannabis, cannabis products and cannabis accessories are sold to the public. 

Restrictions

• Outlets are limited to a maximum of four per Council District, 36 citywide. 
• Must be located:
  • 1,000 feet from resource- or population-based city parks, other outlets, churches, childcare centers, playgrounds, libraries, minor-oriented facilities, residential care facilities and schools; and
  • 100 feet from residential zones.

Permit Process
A Conditional Use Permit (CUP) is required in accordance with a Process Three decision by the Hearing Officer. The Hearing Officer’s decision is appealable to the Planning Commission. For more details, including a summary of the Outlet permitting process, and links to helpful information, refer to Information Bulletin 170.

Permitted Locations
This map identifies the addresses of Cannabis Outlets with approved Conditional Use Permit numbers, associated discretionary project numbers, and dates of approval.

March 25, 2014 - The City adopts  Ordinance No. O-20356, which implements zoning regulations for MMCCs. 

Nov. 8, 2016 - San Diego voters pass Measure N, Non-Medical Cannabis Tax, which imposed a gross receipts tax on non-medical cannabis businesses that operate or provide services within the City. The tax applies to non-medical cannabis business activities, including but not limited to transporting, manufacturing, cultivating, packaging or retail sales. Businesses are initially taxed at a rate of 5 percent of monthly gross receipts and will increase to 8 percent on July 1, 2019. This increase cannot exceed 15 percent of gross receipts. Learn more at the Cannabis Business Tax web page.

Nov. 9, 2016 - Control, Regulate and Tax Adult Use of Marijuana Act becomes law and allows for recreational cannabis sales in California by January 2018. 

Feb. 22, 2017 - The City adopts Ordinance No. O-20793, which replaces the MMCC use with a new retail sales use category, Cannabis Outlet. It became effective in areas of the City of San Diego outside of the Coastal Overlay Zone on April 12, 2017, and within the Coastal Overlay Zone on Oct. 12, 2017. 

Sept. 11, 2017 - Ordinance No. O-20859 is introduced to regulate the cannabis industry relative to commercial cultivation, manufacturing, storage and distribution of medical and recreational cannabis and cannabis products and to allow by-right cannabis testing labs. It became effective on Nov. 17, 2017, in areas of the City of San Diego outside of the Coastal Overlay Zone, and on Feb. 8, 2018, in areas located within the Coastal Overlay Zone. 

• Ordinance No. O-20793 - Related to Cannabis Outlets
• Ordinance No. O-20858 - Related to MPFs and the distribution and transport of Cannabis and Cannabis products 
• Ordinance No. O-20859 - Related to testing and MPFs
• Ordinance No. O-21163 – Related to cannabis regulations as part of the 12th Update (Phase Two) of the Land Development Code
• Ordinance No. O-21174 – Related to restricting the billboard advertising of cannabis and cannabis products

• 2019-10-01 Memo on Cannabis Permitting
• 2019-09-26 DSD Cannabis Permitting Presentation to Planning Commission
• Ordinance No. O-21163 – Cannabis Production Facilities with an approved Zoning Use Certificate and Business Tax Certificate issued before Jan. 31, 2017, shall cease use or obtain all approvals required to operate by Oct. 17, 2021.

• 12th Update, Phase 3: O-21221

• 12th Update, Phase 2: O-21163