Agenda packet — Santa Cruz City Council, May 14, 2024 (part 3 of 5)

OCCUPATIONAL (EMPLOYEE) SAFETY
Approach:

As part of the review of the safety aspects of the project, the issues involving employee safety and health were reviewed. Once the facility is operational, a comprehensive safety and health assessment will be conducted to identify other areas that may require additional safeguards. Among these will be the conducting of Industrial Hygiene (IH) assessments to determine the levels of noise and airborne contaminants. Based on these quantitative assessments, additional safeguards and programs will be implemented in accordance with the overall approach to protecting employees that is identified below.

The goal of the occupational safety and health programs is not only to ensure compliance with the applicable regulatory requirements as found in Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations, but also to help manage the occupational risk and reduce it to acceptable levels. To that end, the following information describes the occupational safety and health program philosophy and details of how these will be implemented once the facility is operational.

25.94 Effective health and safety systems and programs encompass several key areas including the use of a hierarchy of controls that include both Inherent Safety Programs and the application of Safety Controls when hazards cannot be eliminated.

The programs that will be implemented for the site will use the hierarchy of controls established by the American National Standards Association (ANSI) including ANSI Z10 - 2012, Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems, and ANSI Z590.3 - 2011, Prevention through Design Guidelines for Addressing Occupational Hazards and Risks in Design and Redesign Processes. This process is more robust than the limited approach taken by Cal/OSHA and exceeds all of their requirements.

Near the top of the hierarchy are steps that afford the greatest levels of protection and rely less on employee performance. At the bottom of the system are steps that are less effective in controlling hazards and which rely on employee performance and use of personal protective equipment (PPE). In all aspects of the safety and health programs, efforts will be made to incorporate the use of the higher levels of controlling hazards that are identified.

Following is a summary of each of these elements that were part of the review process of the assessment team.

1. Inherent Safety Programs: The top components of the hierarchy include those that either do not introduce or eliminate the hazards associated with a particular task or operation, or which remove some more hazardous processes and substitute less harmful processes or materials. Examples of inherent safety programs include elimination of the need to expose someone to a fall hazard through the relocation of elevated controls to lower levels thus completely eliminating the need to work at an elevated, or the removal of a significantly hazardous materials with the substitution of less harmful materials.

2. Safety Controls: When the hazards cannot be completely eliminated using the inherent methodology, Cal-OSHA requires that measures to be implemented for controlling the exposure or potential exposure that employees have to a particular hazard. These measures are termed Controls and are required to be implemented in an order of decreasing effectiveness with the higher Controls being the most protective and required when feasible. When possible, multiple levels of these Controls can be used together to further reduce the potential for exposure by the employee. The Controls within the ANSI process are as follows:

3. Engineering Controls. Engineering Controls are the first step used to help reduce the potential exposure of the employee to the hazards that are (or potentially could be) present in the workplace. Examples of this form of control include the installation of guardrails at elevated locations, the use of ventilation systems to

25.95 reduce the level of airborne hazards, automatic fire doors that close upon activation of the alarm systems, fire resistive construction, and the use of noise dampening equipment in noisy areas. Engineering Controls require the least involvement of the employee in order to be effective but are not always feasible in many types of situations such as emergency response.

4. Warning Systems. When Engineering Controls are not effective or are not feasible, the use of warning systems helps to ensure that employees are made aware of situations that require their attention and action. Examples of warnings include alarm systems, workplace signage, and backup alarms on vehicles.

5. Administrative Controls. Administrative Controls are often used in conjunction with Engineering Controls or alone or in combination with other Controls when they are not effective in fully controlling personnel exposure to a given hazard.

Examples of Administrative Controls include training programs, scheduling, supervision, and the use of standard operating procedures. The use of this level of control requires significant employee involvement and their conformance to rules and procedures.

6. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). The final level of controlling the exposure of employees to occupational hazards is through the use of PPE. There are numerous types of PPE that provide protection from a wide range of hazards that could be present. Examples of PPE include respirators to provide protection from airborne hazards, gloves and body coverings that protect employees from chemical or physical hazards, and ear plugs and muffs that limit exposure to loud noises. As with the issues associated with the application of Administrative controls, the use of PPE has a high degree of employee involvement in order for this form of Control to be effective. Additionally, there are numerous variables that limit or reduce the effectiveness of PPE including proper selection, proper maintenance of the equipment, and the proper use of the equipment when required.

Written Compliance Programs
Based on an initial review of the operations, the overall safety and health programs will require the development and implementation of several written occupational safety and health programs. The initial report on the proposed manufacturing operations included a list of the programs that would be required. The following list of programs will need to be reviewed to ensure that they include the various elements of risk associated with the additional transportation or distribution activities that are planned to be added:

25.96 Program Requireme
nt
Notes
Injury and Illness Prevention
Program (IIPP)
8 CCR
§3203
Foundation of Safety
Programs and Systems
Hazard Communication Plan 8 CCR
§5194
Safety Data Sheets
for all hazardous
materials will be
present.

Emergency Action Plan 8 CCR
§3220
Plans for evacuation
and all other
emergencies that might
occur.

Fire Prevention Plan 8 CCR
§3221
Plans to prevent any
type of site fire hazard.

Powered Industrial Truck
Program
8 CCR,
Article 25
GISO
As needed based on
use of forklifts
Each of these programs will be customized for the specific operations that will be conducted at the facility. The foundation of the overall safety and health programs will be the IIPP. The IIPP has eight required elements. These will include the following:

Element Application
Responsibilit
y
Responsibility will be assigned for implementing the
program. Additional responsibility will be delegated
throughout the organization to managers, supervisors, and employees.

Compliance Safety work rules will be developed for all aspects of the operations. Programs for employee recognition and
discipline will be developed. This area will also identify other written safety programs and their role in the overall safety management system.

25.97 Communicat
ion
Programs to communicate safety related matters within the organization will be developed including procedures for anonymous reporting of safety concerns. Programs will
include worksite postings, employee meetings, and the
implementation of a Safety Committee.

Training Training and retraining programs for all aspects of the facility operations will be established and implemented.

Hazard
Identification
Hazard identification programs including identification of the frequency and responsibility for worksite inspections will be developed and implemented. Included in this will be an assessment of the site to identify the required personal protective equipment that will be needed for specific tasks and operations.

Hazard
Correction
Programs to correct all identified hazards in a timely
manner will be identified and implemented.

Incident
Investigation
A robust incident investigation process will be developed and implemented. The program will also include a program of near-miss (close call) reporting. The program will be based on current safety research that focuses on system improvements and organizational learning.

Recordkeepin
g
Records retention and availability programs will be
identified and implemented for all safety-related records.

25.98 Employee Training Programs
Full implementation of the occupational safety and health programs requires training in several areas. Following is a description of the training programs that have been identified for implementation. Most of these training programs were identified in the initial report on the proposed manufacturing operations and will simply need to be updated to include any elements specific to the proposed transportation or distribution operations.

Training Description Employees
IIPP training Training in accordance with 8 CCR
§3203 on all elements of the IIPP and
responsibilities for each level of
employee within the organization.

All
employees
Hazard
Communicat
ion
Training in accordance with 8 CCR
§5194 on hazardous substances found
in the workplace including the Hazard
Communication Program, labeling
systems, the availability of the Safety
Data Sheet, definition of terms, and
the newly implemented Globally
Harmonized System of Hazard
Communication.

All
employees

25.99 Emergenc
y Action
Plan
Training on the elements of the site
Emergency Action Plan in
accordance with 8 CCR §3220
including employee responsibilities
and procedures for reporting
emergencies, emergency action to
be taken for each type of anticipated
emergency, and evacuation routes
and areas of safe refuge.

Emergencies that will be covered in
the training and Plan include
medical, fire, power failure,
earthquake, workplace violence and
active shooter, chemical release, and
weather emergencies.

All
employees
Fire
Preventio
n Plan
Training on the elements of the Fire
Prevention Plan in accordance with 8
CCR §3221 including employee
responsibilities for prevention,
maintenance of aisles, and inspection
and maintenance requirements for
the fire protection systems found at
the site.

All
employees
Inspection
programs
Training will be provided to
personnel involved in the inspection
of safety equipment and emergency
systems involved in the
transportation or distribution
activities.

Affected/inv
olved
employees
Equipmen
t
Specific/J
ob
Training
Training of personnel in the safe
operations of all equipment and
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
as required by 8 CCR §3203.

Affected/inv
olved
employees
Additionally, while not required, training in the following areas has been identified to be included in the firm’s occupational safety and health training matrix.

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Training Description Employees
Facility and Safety Inspection Programs
Once the safety systems are implemented, inspection and testing programs will be required to ensure that the equipment and systems are properly maintained and useable. Inspections that are expected to occur are as follows. All of these were identified in the initial proposed manufacturing report for the site.

Equipment/Syste
m
Frequency
Training in accordance with 8
CCR
Emergency
Cardiopulmo
nary
§3400 to provide CPR and First Response
Resuscitation Aid in accordance with the Team
(ERT)
(CPR) and guidelines of the American Heart members
First Aid Association.

Automatic Training in accordance with 8
CCR
Emergency
External §3400 to use an AED in Response
Defibrillator accordance with the guidelines of Team
(ERT)
(AED) the American Heart Association. members
Portable fire Training in accordance with 8
CCR
Emergency
extinguisher §6151 on the use of portable fire Response use/Incipient extinguishers including Team
(ERT)
Fire Control requirements for notification and members
evacuation prior to use, selection
of the proper type of fire
extinguisher, inspection and
service requirements, and proper
use.

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Portable fire
extinguishers
Visual inspection monthly by site personnel.

Annual service by a licensed vendor.

Emergency
lighting systems
(if present)
Testing for 30 seconds monthly by site
personnel. 90-minute test annually by site
personnel.

First Aid Kits Regular inspections of inventory by site personnel or vendor.

Industrial
trucks/related
equipment (if
used)
Prior to use. Documented per shift.

Record Keeping
To ensure ongoing compliance within the safety systems, records will be developed and maintained in compliance with Cal-OSHA requirements found in 8 CCR §3203, 8 CCR §3204, 8 CCR §5194, Titles 19 and 22 CCR, and other equipment-specific sections.

Following is a list of the records that may be required. As with some of the other required safety elements, these are similar to those that are required and identified in the manufacturing report.
● Personnel safety training records
● IH testing and monitoring results
● Equipment inspection records such as mobile equipment ● Facility inspection records
Safety
Showers/Eyewas
h stations(if
present)
Monthly flush or in accordance with
manufacturer’s requirements.

Portable ladders
(if used)
Regular inspections – recommended quarterly.

Detection and
alarm systems (if
present)
Maintained and tested in accordance with
manufacturer’s requirements.

Automatic Fire
Sprinkler systems
(if present)
Maintained in accordance with CFC and Title 19
CCR requirements.

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● Operation inspection records
● Emergency equipment inspection records (e.g. alarms, detectors, automatic fire sprinkler systems, etc.)
● Personal protective equipment inspection records
● OSHA Log 300 and 300A
Neighborhood Plan
It is of the utmost importance to The Hook to be a good neighbor and outstanding business in the communities in which it operates. The ownership and management of The Hook has a proven decades-long track record of demonstrating it can be a benefit to its community through good values, strict operational policies, and by forging positive relationships with its neighbors and the local community.

Retail operations under the management of the ownership group have never been issued a formal complaint by any regulatory body, surrounding businesses, or individuals in which the dispensaries have operated. The principals have accomplished this by maintaining positive and collaborative relationships and communication with surrounding neighbors, sharing information, security resources, and addressing any minor issues immediately, as they arise.

In addition to these steps taken by the ownership and Community Relations Liaison, The Hook also has an internal process and training to immediately and proactively address any complaints that may arise. This includes:
• Documenting issue(s) and collecting contact information of the reporter • Forwarding complaint to Community Relations Liaison
• Management review of the complaint including, if necessary, internal investigation, security camera review, and action items • Follow-up with the complainant to discuss potential remedies and gather additional feedback if necessary
• Execution of solution plan and additional follow-up with the complainant to ensure they feel the issue has been addressed and resolved Operational Compatibility
Through diligent management of daily operations, The Hook will ensure its operations will not be a nuisance to our neighbors or negatively impact the neighborhood.

Traffic and Parking
The Hook has carefully considered how we may impact traffic conditions. We are committed to securing a location that will not impact traffic and will have ample parking

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for customers and staff.
• Entrance Parking: This proposed location will provide sufficient parking, including handicap accessible parking, to accommodate all employees and visitors
Security personnel will consistently monitor outside areas of the facility to ensure that:
• Customers and staff are not infringing on surrounding businesses and parking only in appropriate and designated parking areas • Policies restricting noise levels, loitering, on-site consumption are followed • Traffic, parking, safety and security guidelines are implemented

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Security
It is the company’s goal to be discrete, professional and secure. The Hook is confident it can control all security and nuisance potentials and strive to have zero impact on local law enforcement and the community as a whole. The Hook security team will monitor loitering and anyone entering the premises. This team will provide a visible presence and deterrent to potential criminal activity by ensuring only those visiting the facility are allowed entry for legitimate business. Cleanliness will also be managed constantly with checks throughout the business day. The site will be well lit, and all exterior lighting kept in good working order and upgraded to city requirements, if needed.

Waste
Trash, recycling, and compost are stored in a secured area and removed by the waste management company. Facility waste will never contain cannabis products. Daily security checks will ensure the waste area remains clean with trash secured in garbage bins. During all aspects of our operations, The Hook is committed to providing a safe and secure service facility to reduce any negative impact on the community.

Noise Management
The Hook will implement strict rules of conduct governing the behavior of all contractors, visitors, and staff at all times while on, approaching, or departing the facility. These include but are not limited to:
• Restricting the volume of car stereos and amplified portable sound systems while on the premises
• Limiting the volume of in-house background music or ambient environment music during regular and non-business hours
• Limiting engine idling time of delivery or shipment vehicles • Issuing warnings for any noise deemed disruptive, unnecessary, or a nuisance Odor Management Plan
Since the adoption of Proposition 64 and implementation of subsequent state regulations, all cannabis products provided to dispensaries for sale must be in final packaged form with a tamper- evident seal. This requirement has vastly eliminated odor emitting occurrences at retail establishments. The primary potential source of odor in a retail establishment is from the products on the retail sales floor when showcasing open cannabis products for display - including flower and concentrates - as well as any cannabis waste from defective products being held in the inventory room prior to destruction/disposal.

As required, we will identify a sufficient odor-absorbing ventilation and exhaust

25.105
system so that odor generated inside retail areas is not detected outside of the facility, anywhere on adjacent property or public rights-of-way, on or about the exterior or interior common area walkways, hallways, breezeways, foyers, lobby areas, or any other areas available for use by common tenants or the visiting public, or within any other unit located inside the same building as the cannabis business.

Odor mitigation is achieved with the following methods:
• An exhaust air filtration system with odor control that prevents internal odors from being emitted externally
• An air system that creates negative air pressure between the cannabis business’s interior and exterior, so that the odors generated inside the cannabis business are not detectable on the outside of the cannabis business If odor is detected, there will be odor control devices in each room of the facility that apply, such as rooms for storage and retail. The rooms in which odor is found will utilize either a) negative air pressure system which forces any odor to go in one direction through a carbon filtration odor mitigation system which will “scrub” the odor from the air before it is exhausted from the rooms, or
b) Hydro-ionization or PHI cell technology that neutralizes odors, molds, pathogens, bacteria, and virus. The extent of the odor control used will be determined based on location, intensity, and processes or products contained within the area or space that may omit odors.

CML-Commercial PHI Unit
The CML Commercial PHI Unit by RGF® is designed to reduce odors, air pollutants, VOCs (chemical odors), smoke, mold bacteria, and viruses. Features include:
• Installation into existing air conditioning and heating system air ducts where most indoor air quality (IAQ) problems start
• PHI unit creates an Advanced Oxidation Process that uses no chemical pollutants
• Pollutants revert back to oxygen and hydrogen after oxidation • Commonly used in hospitals and other workplace environments The Assistant General Manager (AGM) is tasked with record keeping, maintenance, and upkeep of all Odor Control Systems. Prior to opening, The Hook will create an Equipment Maintenance Log and Equipment Maintenance Procedure based on manufacturers’ guidelines and company policy. All company logs and Processes (SOP’S) are organized and stored in a shared Google Drive which is accessible to all management. Physical binders are also kept on site for reference and review. Odor System Maintenance shall include:

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• Daily checks of systems to ensure proper functionality • Scheduled checks of internal systems and any required maintenance for moving parts
• Scheduled replacement of components such as PHI-CELLS, and Charcoal Filters • Scheduled cleaning and sterilization based on manufacturer recommendations • All other maintenance activities suggested by the manufacturer All maintenance is scheduled according to the manufacturer’s recommended guidelines for maintenance. Logs are stored in the digital record-keeping system and paper log binder.

Maintenance schedules are published in google calendars and alerts the AGM when basic system maintenance is required to be performed. Upon scheduled service the AGM logs the following:
• The date and time of service
• Service(s) performed
• The equipment serviced
• Parts used or replaced
• Parts or components that need to be ordered*
• Any malfunction or damage to the equipment
*If parts need to be ordered a P.O. is to be generated and sent to finance at the time of service
All odor control systems are checked daily by supervisors as part of the opening procedures to ensure equipment is functioning properly. Any malfunctions are logged and the AGM is notified. All Supervisor staff are trained by management on daily opening and closing procedures. This training included an onsite demonstration, monitoring, review of company processes, testing on employee comprehension of policies, and periodic training.

Waste Management
The Hook has drafted and instituted operating procedures to minimize waste. All refuse is separated into landfills and recycling.

Trash, recycling, and compost are stored in a secured area and removed by the waste management company. Facility waste will never contain cannabis products. Daily security checks will ensure the waste area remains clean with trash secured in the garbage bins. During all aspects of our operations, The Hook is committed to providing a safe and secure service facility to reduce any negative impact on the community.

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Identification
Cannabis and Non-Cannabis waste streams are recognized and kept separate at the facility at all times. To allow for easy identification waste collection bags and/or containers will be color-coded as follows:

Non-Cannabis Waste
• Blue - Recycle (general recycling)
• Black - Landfill refuse
• Black Bins - Specialty recycling (batteries, electronics, etc.) Cannabis Waste
• Green - Expired or unsellable cannabis products
• Orange - Refuse materials with any cannabis residue
• Cannabis Waste Disposal
All disposal of cannabis waste is completed and documented in accordance with the Cannabis Waste Management Procedures Form submitted to the Bureau of Cannabis Control.

Cannabis waste occurs when defective products are returned, products exceed expiration or sell-by dates, or when display samples such as cannabis flower which have exceeded display life and are required to be destroyed. The following points detail waste management and handling:
• All cannabis waste is stored in a locked waste bin contained within the inventory room which has restricted access area. Only the inventory manager and upper management have access codes
• Waste is documented in the Inventory Waste Log (IWL.001) which includes: Product Name, Quantity, Weight, Distributor, Product Type, Batch #, METRC # Date, Manager Initials, and witness initials
• Waste hauling contractor, Cannabis Waste Management, picks up when waste bin reaches capacity
• Upon collection, all items in locked waste bin are identified, confirmed and contents are verified
• All cannabis products are removed from packaging prior to collection and placed in a Destruction Container onsite for processing to render unusable/unrecognizable
Prior to removal from the facility, all cannabis containing items in the Destruction Container are rendered unusable and unrecognizable. This is done by mixing the

25.108
cannabis goods in a mixture of three-parts kitty litter to one-part cannabis goods, and one-part water. This is done under full camera recording. This destruction process was developed based on approved manufacturing waste disposal plans reviewed by the Bureau of Cannabis Control.
• Contents of the Destruction Container are transferred to a secured tamperevident container by Cannabis Waste Management staff on camera and with supervision from The Hook management. Destruction Container contents and Orange refuse bag containing packaging with cannabis residue are collected by for transport to their facility after content verification and documentation
• The Hook security staff escort staff from the Restricted Access area to the vendor loading zone and witness loading of the cannabis waste bin into vehicle and remain until the vehicle departs from the property
• After verification of the locked waste bin contents, the waste is removed from premises. A physical receipt with all items contained within the bin is provided to The Hook management. An identical receipt leaves the facility with staff • Waste is weighed at the facility and verified. A manifest is emailed that contains the products, weight, and other information for verification. The manifest and supporting documentation is stored in the company computer drive folder shared with Cannabis Waste company. Hard copies are kept in the Waste Removal binder stored onsite
Other Waste Concerns
No spent solvents, gas cylinders, or other hazardous waste is generated at the facility. No composting of cannabis or other compostable products occurs on-premises. The Hook will not generate four or more cubic yards of solid waste per week. The estimated waste generation is 2 cubic feet per quarter.

Energy Efficiency
Lighting
LED lighting can provide energy savings from more efficient electricity utilization and energy savings from cooler temperatures than standard high-intensity warehouse lighting. Upon permitting The Hook will retrofit all lighting in units to LED lighting.

Renewable Energy
The Hook will be enrolling in the PG&E Solar Choice program. This program allows the business to purchase energy from 100% renewable sources. The Hook is committed to getting a minimum of 50% of its total power consumption from renewable energy sources. Upon approval, The Hook will also work with landlords to explore options for

25.109
solar panels at the proposed location.

Water Conservation
The Hook will have no water-intensive operations. Upon permitting it will retrofit all existing faucets in facilities to enhance water conservation and do a full review of its water uses as part of its protocol for green business certification.

Packaging
The Hook will utilize recyclable and renewable products for its exit packaging whenever possible. The Hook will highlight and showcase brands utilizing renewable, recyclable, and sustainable packaging for their products.

Green Business Initiatives
Upon licensing, The Hook Santa Cruz will work with the Green Business program to achieve certification for operating as a green business. The Green Business Program and the incentive and assistance programs help local businesses conserve energy and water, minimize waste, prevent pollution, and minimize their carbon footprint.

Waste Management
The Hook has drafted and instituted operating procedures to minimize waste. All refuse is separated into landfills and recycling.

23. Energy Usage. To offset power consumption, the business shall install solar panels to provide as much power as possible for the indoor cultivation and manufacturing of cannabis and cannabis products. Businesses that can demonstrate low power usage or that use power from clean energy sources may be excused from this requirement. Commercial cannabis businesses shall meet the city’s green building requirements.

The Hook Santa Cruz does not engage in indoor cultivation and manufacturing of cannabis and cannabis products. However, The Hook Santa Cruz will meet the city’s green building requirements where applicable.

24. Cannabis Waste. Trash containing cannabis and cannabis products or byproducts shall be disposed of securely. The business owner shall work with the police department and the city’s waste/recycling program to create a process for safe and secure disposal of waste Materials.

The Hook Santa Cruz will ensure trash containing cannabis and cannabis products or byproducts will be disposed of securely. The Hook Santa Cruz will work with the police department and the city’s waste/recycling program to create a process for safe and secure disposal of waste materials.

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25. Conventional Waste
Waste
Trash, recycling, and compost are stored in a secured area and removed by the waste management company. Facility waste will never contain cannabis products. Daily security checks will ensure the waste area remains clean with trash secured in garbage bins. During all aspects of our operations, The Hook is committed to providing a safe and secure service facility to reduce any negative impact on the community.

Waste Management
The Hook has drafted and instituted operating procedures to minimize waste. All refuse is separated into landfills and recycling.

During all aspects of our operations, The Hook is committed to providing a safe and secure service facility to reduce any negative impact on the community.

Identification
Cannabis and Non-Cannabis waste streams are recognized and kept separate at the facility at all times. To allow for easy identification waste collection bags and/or containers will be color coded as follows:

Product Name, Quantity, Weight, Distributor, Product Type, Batch #, METRC

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# Date, Manager Initials, and witness initials
• Waste hauling contractor, Cannabis Waste Management, picks up when waste bin reaches capacity
• Upon collection, all items in locked waste bin are identified, confirmed and contents are verified
• All cannabis products are removed from packaging prior to collection and placed in a Destruction Container onsite for processing to render unusable/unrecognizable

Prior to removal from the facility, all cannabis containing items in the Destruction Container are rendered unusable and unrecognizable. This is done by mixing the cannabis goods in a mixture of three-parts kitty litter to one-part cannabis goods, and one-part water. This is done under full camera recording. This destruction process was developed based on approved manufacturing waste disposal plans reviewed by the Bureau of Cannabis Control. • Contents of the Destruction Container are transferred to a secured tamper evident container by Cannabis Waste Management staff on camera and with supervision from The Hook management. Destruction Container contents and Orange refuse bag containing packaging with cannabis residue are collected by for transport to their facility after content verification and documentation • The Hook security staff escort staff from the Restricted Access area to the vendor loading zone and witness loading of the cannabis waste bin into vehicle and remain until the vehicle departs from the property • After verification of the locked waste bin contents, the waste is removed from premises. A physical receipt with all items contained within the bin is provided to The Hook management. An identical receipt leaves the facility with staff • Waste is weighed at the facility and verified. A manifest is emailed that contains the products, weight, and other information for verification. The manifest and supporting documentation is stored in the company computer drive folder shared with Cannabis Waste company. Hard copies are kept in the Waste Removal binder stored onsite

a. Other Waste Concerns
No spent solvents, gas cylinders, or other hazardous waste is generated at the facility. No composting of cannabis or other compostable products occurs on-premises. The Hook will not
generate four or more cubic yards of solid waste per week. The estimated waste generation is 2 cubic feet per quarter.

26. Noise Management
The Hook will implement strict rules of conduct governing the behavior of all contractors, visitors, and staff at all times while on, approaching, or departing the facility. These include but are not limited to:
• Restricting the volume of car stereos and amplified portable sound systems

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while on the premises
• Limiting the volume of in-house background music or ambient environment music during regular and non-business hours
• Limiting engine idling time of delivery or shipment vehicles • Issuing warnings for any noise deemed disruptive, unnecessary, or a nuisance

27.Acessory Use. A cannabis business is not allowed as an accessory use to any other principal, special, or conditional use. All cannabis businesses are subject to the applicable administrative use permit and cannabis retailer license requirements.

The Hook Santa Cruz will not operate as an accessory use to any other principal, special, or conditional use. The Hook Santa Cruz will abide by, submit and operate under all applicable administrative use permit and cannabis retailer license requirements.

28. Home Occupation. A cannabis business shall not be operated as a home occupation.

The Hook Santa Cruz is a commercial occupation. The Hook Santa Cruz is not operated as a home occupation.

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- -
__________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ DCC LIC 019 (New 2/22)
State of California, Department of Cannabis Control
Standard Operating Procedures
This form DCC-LIC-019, Standard Operating Procedures, must be prepared by applicants for licensure and maintained post licensure pursuant to Cal. Code Regs., tit. 4, § 15011. By signing this form, the applicant declares that the information is true, correct, and complete. Completed copies of this form may be uploaded into the Department of Cannabis Control’s (Department) licensing system, submitted to the Department by mail in writing, or may be submitted to the Department by electronic mail to: [email protected].

Please be aware that pursuant to Cal. Code Regs., tit. 4, § 15037, licensees must keep and maintain records in connection with the commercial cannabis business, such as licensee protocols, plans and procedures, for at least seven years from the date of creation, unless a shorter time is specified by the Department. Such records are subject to inspection by the Department and shall be kept in a manner that allows the Department to view and obtain copies of the records at the licensed premises immediately upon request.

Note that applicants for a testing laboratory license must submit additional forms concerning standard operating procedures, including the DCC-LIC-021 for Sampling, the DCC-LIC-022 for Sample Preparation, and the DCC-LIC-023 for Test Methods.

Section 1. Applicant Information

1. Legal Business Name:

2. Owner Name:

3. Application/License Number:

Section 2. Security Information

4. Do you have sign in/sign out procedures for tracking all persons entering and exiting the premises, including authorized individuals, suppliers, and visitors?
Yes
No

5. Do you have a security alarm system installed at the premises? Standard Operating Procedures 1 DCC-LIC-019 (New 2/22)

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___________________________________________________________________________ _________
________________________________________________________________________ _________
Yes
No
If you answered yes to Question 5, complete the next two questions. 5a. What is the name of the licensed alarm company operator that installs, maintains, monitors, and responds to the alarm system? ________________________________________ 5b. Briefly describe the security alarm system that is installed at the premises: __________

6. Will you use security personnel at the premises?
Yes
No
If you answered yes to Question 6, complete the next three questions. 6a. Are the security personnel directly employed or contracted?  Directly employed
 Contracted
If contracted, what is the name of security company: ______________________________ 6b. What are the hours security personnel will be onsite? ______________________________ 6c. Are the security personnel unarmed or armed?
 Unarmed
 Armed
If armed, what weaponry is used by the security personnel? ________________________ Note: The Department of Cannabis Control regulations require that all security personnel hired or contracted by the licensee be licensed by the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services (See Bus. & Prof. Code, § 7580, et seq.).

Standard Operating Procedures
DCC-LIC-019 (New 2/22) 2

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Complete the next two questions if you are an applicant for a manufacturing, distribution, retail, testing laboratory or microbusiness license.

7. Do you have video surveillance cameras meeting the requirements of Cal. Code Regs., tit. 4, § 15044 installed at the premises?
Yes
No

8. How will video recordings be stored?
Storage device
Cloud storage
Other: ________________________
Section 3. Cannabis Waste Management Information

9. Do you have a written cannabis waste management plan? Yes
No

10. How will you dispose of cannabis waste? (Check all that apply) On-premises composting
Reintroduction of cannabis waste into agricultural operation Self haul to:

A solid waste landfill
A composting facility or operation
An In-vessel digestion facility or operation
A transfer/processing facility or operation
A chip and grind facility or operation
A Recycling Center
Picked up and hauled by:

A municipal hauler (A local agency or waste hauler franchised or contracted by a local agency) A private waste hauler
If you answered that your cannabis waste will be picked up and hauled to Question 10, complete the next question.

Standard Operating Procedures
DCC-LIC-019 (New 2/22) 3

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___________________________________________________________________________ _________
10a. What is the name of the waste hauler that will be collecting and/or processing your cannabis waste? ___________________________________________________________________

11. Will you generate hazardous waste on-site?
Yes
No
If you answered yes to Question 11, complete the next question. 10a. What type of hazardous waste will you be generating on-site? ____________________ Yes
No

13. Do you have a written product quality plan assessing the potential hazards to be controlled during the manufacturing process?
Yes
No

14. Do you have written master manufacturing protocols for each unique formulation of cannabis product manufactured at the premises?
Yes
No

15. Do you prepare and maintain written batch production records to document information about the batch at the time of manufacturing?
Yes
No

16. Do any of the cannabis products that will be manufactured on the premises contain a major food allergen? Yes
Standard Operating Procedures
DCC-LIC-019 (New 2/22) 4
Section 4. Quality Control Information
Complete this section if you are an applicant for a manufacturing license.

12. Do you have a quality control program?

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No
If you answered yes to Question 16, complete the next question. 16a. What major food allergens will cannabis products that are manufactured on the premises contain? __________________________________________________________________ 16b. Do you have a written allergen control program in place? Yes
No

17. If you will be manufacturing juice or beverages at the premises: do you have a written hazard analysis and critical control plan?
Yes
No
N/A - I will not be manufacturing juice or beverages at the premises

18. Do you have emergency response procedures, including safety data sheets for any chemicals onsite? Yes
No
N/A – I will not be using any chemicals onsite
Section 4. Vehicle Information
Applicants for distribution or testing laboratory licenses: complete this section for all vehicles that will be used for transportation.

Type of Vehicle Year Make Model License Plate
Number
Vehicle
Identification
Number (VIN)
Vehicle
Trailer
Vehicle
Trailer
Vehicle
Trailer
Vehicle
Trailer
Vehicle
Standard Operating Procedures
DCC-LIC-019 (New 2/22) 5

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Trailer
Vehicle
Trailer
Vehicle
Trailer
Additional rows provided on next page
Type of
Vehicle
Year Make Model License Plate
Number
Vehicle
Identification
Number (VIN)
Vehicle
Trailer
Vehicle
Trailer
Vehicle
Trailer
Vehicle
Trailer
Upon request of the Department, licensed distributors and testing laboratories must submit a copy of the certificate of ownership or registration card issued by the California Department of Motor Vehicles and proof of insurance for each vehicle or trailer used to transport cannabis and cannabis products with this form pursuant to Cal. Code Regs., tit. 4, § 15709 and 15312.

Section 6. Signature
Owner Signature: _________________________________________ Date: _________________________ Standard Operating Procedures
DCC-LIC-019 (New 2/22) 6
8 7 23

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Addendum: Mitigation of Potential Impacts on Youth
Introduction:

Our unwavering commitment as a business is to ensure the well-being and safety of the communities in which we operate. Especially pertinent is our dedication to safeguarding our youth. While our location adheres to all mandatory setbacks from sensitive use areas, we comprehend and respect the concerns of the local school district, given our proximity to city schools.

Context:

The unique layout of our city means that every dispensary currently operating within the county, due to spatial dynamics, is located within a comparable distance by path of travel to sensitive use areas, similar to our proposed location. For transparency and a broader context, the following are distances from some of the city's dispensaries to various sensitive areas, including schools and popular youth gathering spots, as per path of travel data from Google Maps:

Canna Cruz:
- Kirby School: 0.4 Miles
- Santa Cruz Parkour: 0.2 Miles
- Clubhouse at Harry West Park: 0.5 Miles
ReefSide:
- Grant Park: 0.4 Miles
- Marianne's Ice Cream: 128 ft.
- Cuz Creamery: 0.2 Miles
- Monarch Community Elementary School: 0.6 Miles
Kind Peoples Collective:
- Central Park: 0.2 Miles
- San Lorenzo Park: 0.2 Miles
- Cruz Creamery: 0.3 Miles
- Monarch Elementary School: 0.6 Miles
3 Bros:
- Ice Cream on Fair: 300ft.
- Garfield Park: 0.3 Miles
- Monterey Bay Sanctuary Scenic Trail: 79 ft.
- Natural Bridges High School: 0.5 Miles
- Gateway School: 0.6 Miles
- Natural Bridges Children’s Center: 0.5 Miles
The Hook Outlet:
- Santa Cruz High School: 0.4 Miles
- Mission Hill: 0.4 Miles

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- Bay View: 0.4 Miles
Proactive Safeguards:

In our continued efforts to prioritize community safety, we've implemented rigorous safeguards.

1. ID Verification: We mandate the presentation of a valid ID at our entrance. Through advanced ID scanners and regular staff training, we ensure that no minor gains access to our facility. In addition to an initial ID check at the entrance, our procedures require a second ID confirmation at the point of sale. This redundancy ensures only valid transactions are conducted.

2. Discreet Operations: Our operations remain discreet, with no visibility of cannabis products from the exterior and no promotional content accessible to public view.

3. No Onsite Consumption: A stringent no-consumption policy is enforced within our premises and its vicinity.

4. Verkada Security & Alarm Monitoring: We harness the capabilities of the state-of-the-art Verkada security system. This fusion of artificial intelligence with real-time human surveillance results in immediate alerts regarding any suspicious or illegal activities onsite. These real-time notifications, dispatched via text message and email, allow for swift review and response. This includes alerts for loitering, suspicious activity, threats to personal or public property, onsite consumption of any substance (tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, etc.), attempts at diversion, restricted patrons, and more.

5. Active Parking Lot Supervision: Our parking lot is persistently overseen by dedicated security personnel during operating hours, ensuring safety, cleanliness, and the absence of minors.

6. Youth Non-Diversion Program:

We strictly enforce that recreational cannabis sales are limited to patrons who are 21 years of age or older. Furthermore, our point-of-sales system prevents purchases from exceeding statemandated daily limits. We actively track and scrutinize customer transactions, ensuring any unusual or suspicious purchasing attempts are promptly flagged and investigated.

Our Track Record:

Our exemplary operational history is evident through the three active dispensaries within the county (Treehouse, Hook Capitola, Hook Watsonville), all of which maintain a violation-free record. Moreover, our collaboration with the cities of Capitola and Watsonville, the County of Santa Cruz, and youth prevention groups such as Community Prevention Partners and Pajaro Valley Prevention and Student Assistance showcases our commitment. Working hand-in-hand with these entities, we strive to ensure that all cannabis enterprises in the county remain conscious of their societal impacts. Together, we've devised safeguards to prevent the encouragement or contribution to youth cannabis use in our community.

Conclusion:

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We have operated cannabis retail in the county for over 12 years and have held an unwavering dedication to the principles of safe and compliant operations. We're proud to highlight the impeccable record of our youth diversion program, which boasts a 100% effectiveness rate, as we have never had a single issue of youth diversion at any of our facilities. Notably, our Watsonville and Capitola locations predominantly cater to an age demographic spanning from the late 20s to early 30s, while our Treehouse location primarily caters to customers 40 years of age and up.

In strategically selecting our new location, we've ensured rigorous adherence to all mandated setbacks. It's crucial to understand that the proximity of our proposed location does not accentuate the risk to sensitive areas, especially when benchmarked against other operational cannabis retailers in the city.

Your continued feedback and collaboration are invaluable. We remain committed to upholding the highest standards and ensuring the safety and well-being of our community.

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Addendum: Community Benefits and Impact
Introduction:

At the heart of our operations lies a commitment not only to business growth but also to community upliftment. This addendum delineates our contributions and the tangible benefits we bring to our local communities, highlighting our unwavering dedication to ethical and community-centered practices.

Local Commitment:

1. Local Ownership & Operation: Our establishment is 100% locally owned and operated, ensuring that the financial benefits remain within the community and support local economic development.

2. Green Business Certification: We are a proud Certified Green Business, demonstrating our commitment to sustainable and environmentally friendly operations.

3. Employee Benefits: Recognizing the importance of employee well-being:
- All our employees receive a living wage, supporting a decent quality of life in our community.
- Comprehensive benefits, including Health Care, Paid Time Off, and Retirement Savings options, continuing education and training, and employee discounts are standard provisions for our workforce.

Supporting Local & Ethical Enterprises:

1. Affordable Pricing: We take pride in offering some of the most competitive prices in the county, with daily savings ranging between 30-50% off MSRP. This ensures that quality products remain accessible to a broad segment of our community.

2. Supporting Local and Ethical Brands: We prioritize filling our inventory with products from local brands and equity-owned companies, reinforcing our commitment to local entrepreneurs and promoting inclusivity in the cannabis industry.

3. Supporting Local Organizations: Sowing Seeds for Community:

Since December of 2020, we have been dedicated to forming bi-monthly partnerships with hyperlocal organizations to foster community development and inclusivity.

Fundraising Initiatives:
- Round-Up Program: On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, we encourage our community to round up their coin change, directing these funds towards our partnered organizations.

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- Online Donation: Customers browsing our online menu are introduced to our partner organizations through a $1 donation item. This allows them to acquaint themselves with the organization's mission and facilitates an effortless donation process.

- Direct Contribution: Beyond the community's contributions, We take an active role by donating $200 to each partnered organization. Through these combined efforts, we have successfully raised an average of $1,200 for every organization during our two-month partnerships.

Promotion & Collaboration:
- We amplify the voice and mission of our partner organizations on our website and across our social media platforms.

- To foster a deeper connection with these organizations and our community, we engage in Instagram Live sessions, conduct in-kind donation drives, and extend support tailored to the specific needs of the organization.

Impact:

Our collaborative efforts have not only raised thousands of dollars but have also provided a platform for organizations such as the Diversity Center, Fuerza Latinex, Monarch Services, Second Harvest Food Bank, Black Matters Initiative, Harm Reduction Coalition, Black Surf Club, County Park Friends, Food Not Bombs, and many others.

We believe in the power of community, and through these partnerships, we aim to sow seeds of positive change, growth, and unity.

4. Partnership with WAMM Phytotherapies:

Our partnership with WAMM Phytotherapies for our Santa Cruz location exemplifies our dedication to ensuring that affordable cannabis reaches all community members, especially those in dire need. WAMM Phytotherapies stands out in its mission to provide hope, well-being, and community through its focus on plant-based and alternative therapies.

Founded by Valerie Leveroni Corral, a significant figure in California’s cannabis movement and co-author of Prop 215 (1996), WAMM Phytotherapies is deeply rooted in compassionate care.

As a fully compliant Public Benefit Corporation, it emphasizes sustainable practices that benefit both the community and the planet.

Through our collaboration with WAMM Phytotherapies, we are committed to the "pay-itforward" philanthropic model. Our partnership ensures that a segment of our sales goes towards providing free or sliding-scale cannabis to low-income patients suffering from severe medical conditions like cancer, AIDS, MS, and epilepsy. In addition to our sister dispensary Treehouse, our Santa Cruz location will be a pickup point for all WAMM Phytotherapies Compassion program members. We are actively working with WAMM Phytotherapies to increase and further develop their compassion program to continue to serve more community members in need of free or subsidized medical cannabis.

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Conclusion:

Our purpose transcends business. We see ourselves as active members of the community, dedicated to creating positive ripple effects that support both individuals and the broader ecosystem. We remain grateful for the trust our community has placed in us and vow to continue our endeavors that lead to a better, more inclusive, and healthier future for all.

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Tricia Webber I IIIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIII IIIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII 111111111111111111 Santa Cruz County Clerk
701 Ocean Street Rm. 310
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
FBN Number: 2023-0001001
This statement was filed in the office of
Tricia Webber County Clerk
of Santa Cruz County
on August 14, 2023
Liliana Galvan By: _________ _

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT
FIRST FILING - PUBLICATION REQUIRED WITHIN 45 DAYS
Began Transacting Business:

Statement Expires On:

Business Address :
1129 MISSION ST
SANTA CRUZ CA 95060
Fictitious Business Name(s) :

THE HOOK SANTA CRUZ
Registrant Address(es) :

KGBB
4170 GROSS RD. STE 5
CAPITOLA CA 95010
State: CA Al#". 4698808
Not Applicable
8/14/2028 Business Is Conducted By:

Mailing Address :

Corporation
NOTICE - IN ACCORDANCE WITH SUBDIVISION (a) OF SECTION 17920, A FICTITIOUS NAME STATEMENT GENERALLY EXPIRES AT THE END OF FIVE YEARS FROM THE DATE ON WHICH IT WAS FILED IN THE OFFICE OF THE COUNTY CLERK, EXCEPT, AS PROVIDED IN SUBDIVISION (b) OF SECTION 17920, WHERE IT EXPIRES 40 DAYS AFTER ANY CHANGE IN THE FACTS SET FORTH IN THE STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 17913 OTHER THAN A CHANGE IN THE RESIDENCE ADDRESS OF A REGISTERED OWNER. A NEW FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT MUST BE FILED BEFORE THE EXPIRATION.

THE FILING OF THIS STATEMENT DOES NOT OF ITSELF AUTHORIZE THE USE IN THIS STATE OF A FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME IN VIOLATION OF "THE RIGH1S OF ANOTHER UNDER FEDERAL, STATE, OR COMMON LAW(SEE SECTION 14411 ET SEQ., BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONS CODE).

I dee/are that all lnfonnatlon In this statement Is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true any material matter pursuant to Section 17913 of the Suslnes, and Professions Code that the reglstra tknows to be false Is guilty ofa misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000),)
Signature
Print Name
Registrant other than an individual sign below:

Entity Name:

Signature:

Print Officer's Name
and Title:

I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS COPY /5 A CORRECT COPY OF THE ORIGINAL STATEMENT ON FILE IN

TRICIA WEBBER
Santa Cruz County Clerk
B/1412023 Page 3 of 4
/
Deputy
Deputy
Distribution: Bank
I
\
\

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DISPLAY THIS PERMIT CONSPICUOUSLY AT THE PLACE OF BUSINESS FOR WHICH IT IS ISSUED

CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF TAX AND FEE ADMINISTRATION

SELLER'S PERMIT

PERMIT NUMBER
226972960 - 00001

THE HOOK SANTA CRUZ
KGBB
1129 MISSION ST
SANTA CRUZ CA 95060-3526
START DATE:

August 1, 2023

YOU ARE REQUIRED TO OBEY ALL FEDERAL AND

STATE LAWS THAT REGULATE OR CONTROL
YOUR BUSINESS. THIS PERMIT DOES NOT ALLOW
YOU TO DO OTHERWISE.

PLEASE RETAIN THIS DOCUMENT FOR YOUR
RECORDS.

IS HEREBY AUTHORIZED PURSUANT TO SALES AND USE TAX

LAW TO ENGAGE IN THE BUSINESS OF SELLING TANGIBLE
PERSONAL PROPERTY AT THE ABOVE LOCATION.

THIS PERMIT IS NOT VALID AT ANY OTHER ADDRESS.

THIS PERMIT IS VALID UNTIL REVOKED OR CANCELED AND IS NOT TRANSFERABLE.

FOR GENERAL TAX QUESTIONS, PLEASE CALL OUR CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER AT 1-800-400-7115 (CRS:711).

FOR INFORMATION ON YOUR RIGHTS, CONTACT THE TAXPAYERS' RIGHTS ADVOCATE OFFICE AT 1-888-324-2798.

CDTFA-442-R REV. 20 (2-22)

A MESSAGE TO OUR PERMIT HOLDER
As a permittee, you have certain rights and responsibilities under the Sales and Use Tax Law. For assistance, we offer the following resources:
• Our website at www.cdtfa.ca.gov.
• Our toll-free Customer Service Center at 1-800-400-7115 (CRS:711). Customer service representatives are available Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Pacific time), except state holidays.

As a permittee, you are expected to maintain the normal books and records of a prudent businessperson. You are required to maintain these books and records for no less than four years, and make them available for inspection by a California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA) representative when requested.

You are also required to know and charge the correct sales or use tax rate, including any local and district taxes.

You must notify us if you are buying, selling, adding a location, or discontinuing your business; adding or dropping a partner, officer, or member; or when you are moving any or all of your business locations. This permit is valid only for the owner specified on the permit. A person who obtains a permit and ceases to do business, or never commenced business, shall surrender their permit by immediately notifying CDTFA in writing at this address: California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, Field Operations Division, P.O. Box 942879, Sacramento, CA 94279-0047. You may also surrender the permit to a CDTFA representative.

If you would like to know more about your rights as a taxpayer, or if you are unable to resolve an issue with CDTFA, please contact the Taxpayers' Rights Advocate Office for help by calling 1-888-324-2798 or by faxing 1-916-323-3319.

As authorized by law, information provided by an applicant for a permit may be disclosed to other government agencies.

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DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE
CINCINNATI OH 45999-0023
Date of this notice: 02-03-2022
Employer Identification Number:
87-4816496
Form: SS-4
Number of this notice: CP 575 A
KGBB
4170 GROSS ROAD EXT STE 5
CAPITOLA, CA 95010 For assistance you may call us at:
1-800-829-4933

IF YOU WRITE, ATTACH THE
STUB AT THE END OF THIS NOTICE.

WE ASSIGNED YOU AN EMPLOYER IDENTIFICATION NUMBER
Thank you for applying for an Employer Identification Number (EIN). We assigned you EIN 87-4816496. This EIN will identify you, your business accounts, tax returns, and documents, even if you have no employees. Please keep this notice in your permanent records.

Taxpayers request an EIN for their business. Some taxpayers receive CP575 notices when another person has stolen their identity and are opening a business using their information.

If you did not apply for this EIN, please contact us at the phone number or address listed on the top of this notice.

When filing tax documents, making payments, or replying to any related correspondence, it is very important that you use your EIN and complete name and address exactly as shown above. Any variation may cause a delay in processing, result in incorrect information in your account, or even cause you to be assigned more than one EIN. If the information is not correct as shown above, please make the correction using the attached tear-off stub and return it to us.

Based on the information received from you or your representative, you must file the following forms by the dates shown.

Form 1120 04/15/2022
If you have questions about the forms or the due dates shown, you can call us at the phone number or write to us at the address shown at the top of this notice. If you need help in determining your annual accounting period (tax year), see Publication 538, Accounting Periods and Methods.

We assigned you a tax classification (corporation, partnership, etc.) based on information obtained from you or your representative. It is not a legal determination of your tax classification, and is not binding on the IRS. If you want a legal determination of your tax classification, you may request a private letter ruling from the IRS under the guidelines in Revenue Procedure 2020-1, 2020-1 I.R.B. 1 (or superseding Revenue Procedure for the year at issue). Note: Certain tax classification elections can be requested by filing Form 8832, Entity Classification Election.

See Form 8832 and its instructions for additional information.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR S CORPORATION ELECTION:

If you intend to elect to file your return as a small business corporation, an election to file a Form 1120-S, U.S. Income Tax Return for an S Corporation, must be made within certain timeframes and the corporation must meet certain tests.

All of this information is included in the instructions for Form 2553, Election by a Small Business Corporation.

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PLANNING COMMISSION

AGENDA REPORT
DATE: March 1, 2024
AGENDA OF: March 7, 2024
ITEM NO: CP23-0106 1129 Mission Street
RECOMMENDATION: That the Planning Commission consider the information provided and make a determination to approve or deny the application based on one of the attached resolutions and findings provided.

PROJECT DATA:

Property Owner: Gary and Valerie Benito Trust
Applicant: Bryce Berryessa
APN: 006-493-27
Application Type: Administrative Use Permit to establish a cannabis retail facility on a parcel in the MU-M (Mixed-Use Medium Density) zone district and within the Mission Street Urban Design Plan.

Zoning: MU-M (Mixed-Use Medium Density)
Project Consistency: Consistent with approval of permits General Plan: Mixed-Use Medium Density (MXMD)
Project Consistency: Consistent with the General Plan designation and Mission Street Urban Design Plan with approval of permits
Land Use - existing: Vacant, former retail bakery
- proposed: Cannabis retail facility and retail bakery
- in area: Commercial retail, Restaurants, Office, Single-family residential Lot Area: 0.298 acres (12,981 square feet)
Coastal Review: No Coastal Permit Required (location is outside the Coastal Zone) Environmental
Determination: Categorical exemption 15301, existing facilities Planning Staff: Ryan Bane, Senior Planner

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AGENDA REPORT
PC Meeting of March 7, 2024
SUBJECT: 1129 Mission Street – Project No. CP23-0106

Page 2 of 20 ends

PROJECT DESCRIPTION/BACKGROUND
This is a proposal to open a cannabis retail outlet within an existing commercial building located on the northeast corner of Mission Street and Laurel Street in the MU-M zone district. The building was occupied by Emily’s Bakery for many years, and the 2,878 square foot building is being proposed to be split into two commercial spaces, including 1,000 square feet for Emily’s kitchen and café and 1,878 square feet for a new cannabis retail store (The Hook Santa Cruz). Section

24.10.802(1)(c) of the Zoning Ordinance allows cannabis retail sales in the MU-M zone district with approval of an Administrative Use Permit (AUP) and subject to Part 14 (Commercial Medical and Adult Use Cannabis Regulations) of Section 24.12 of the Santa Cruz Municipal Code. Zoning Code Section 24.12.1320(5) allows cannabis retail sales with approval of an AUP, a city cannabis retailer license, and the obtaining of a state cannabis retailer or nonprofit license. It should be noted that while this Zoning Code Section 24.12.1320(5) references the CC (Community Commercial) zone district, this property was recently rezoned to MU-M, which also permits cannabis retail sales with the approval of an AUP pursuant to the aforementioned Section 24.10.802(1)(c). Cannabis retail sales shall not be located within six hundred feet, as measured from the property lines, from any school, day care center, or youth center. The proposed cannabis retail site meets all of the above-mentioned setbacks, as well as the City’s additional setback requirement of 600 feet from any other cannabis retail site. The use of a portion of the building for Emily’s kitchen and café is not a part of this proposal.

The adult use of recreational marijuana was approved by the citizens of California in 2016 through the passage of the Control, Regulate and Tax Adult Use of Marijuana Act (AUMA) and was updated in 2017 by Senate Bill 94 and Assembly Bill 133. The result is a State-wide comprehensive set of regulations for the use of both medical and recreational cannabis.

The Santa Cruz City Council unanimously approved Resolution No. NS-29,333 on November 14, 2017, incorporating Chapter 6.90 (Cannabis Retailer licenses) as well as amendments to Section

24.10 of the Zoning Ordinance to regulate the commercial, medical and adult use of cannabis. The ordinance amendments became effective on December 28, 2017. The approved regulations incorporate all of the State legislation and are intended to provide a path to allow the legal retail sales of commercial cannabis while protecting the community from negative impacts of such sales.

The use of both medical and recreational cannabis is consistent with the will of the majority of citizens in Santa Cruz, based on voting records for AUMA, which found that countywide, 70% of the nearly 128,000 votes tallied supported marijuana legalization.

The applicant recently applied for a transfer of one of the five Cannabis Retail Licenses available within the City. That license transfer has been approved by the City, with final administrative steps being completed to transfer the license from WAMM (Wo/Men’s Alliance for Medical Marijuana) Phytotherapies (https://wammphytotherapies.org/about) to the current applicant (The Hook Santa Cruz, https://www.hookoutlet.com/). WAMM Phytotherapies is committed to compassionate care and community support. The organization is dedicated to offering therapeutic-quality, regeneratively-grown cannabis products that are both accessible and affordable, reflecting a deeprooted commitment to health, wellness, and holistic care for individuals with serious illnesses. The

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AGENDA REPORT
PC Meeting of March 7, 2024
SUBJECT: 1129 Mission Street – Project No. CP23-0106

Page 3 of 20 ends

Hook will have a partnership with WAMM to ensure that affordable cannabis reaches community members in dire need. The collaboration with WAMM will ensure that a segment of the sales goes towards providing free or sliding-scale cannabis to low-income patients suffering from severe medical conditions like cancer, AIDS, MS, and epilepsy. WAMM has been providing this service to those in need for decades. The license is not restricted to any specific location, thus the request for the subject AUP approval at this location.

ANALYSIS
Project Site and Surroundings. The 0.298 acres (12,987 square feet) project site consists of a parcel located on the northeast corner of Mission and Laurel Street. Commercial uses surround the site, with the exception of residential uses directly to the east.

The existing one-story 2,878 square foot building was originally developed as a service station but was converted to retail space in 1978. The site has had several retail related uses over the years, including a vegetable/produce store, a deli/fish market, a plant nursery, and most recently a bakery.

No exterior alterations to the structure are proposed, with the exception of new signage that will

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AGENDA REPORT
PC Meeting of March 7, 2024
SUBJECT: 1129 Mission Street – Project No. CP23-0106

Page 4 of 20 ends

be reviewed at the staff level. Interior improvements include new interior walls to separate the two retail spaces and to establish an inventory storage room, office, break room, record storage/video surveillance room, and the retail show room. The parking lot configuration would remain unchanged.

Consistency with the General Plan. The subject parcel has a Mixed-Use Medium Density (MXMD) General Plan designation. This designation applies to sites along the Mission Street corridor between Swift and Laurel Streets. The General Plan states that in MXMD designations, “the typical commercial uses are similar to those in the Community Commercial (CM) designation, and pedestrian-oriented commercial uses are encouraged on the ground floor.” For reference, the CM designation calls for “businesses that serve the general needs of the community, including retail, service, and office establishments. Typical uses in these areas include restaurants, grocery stores, furniture stores, general merchandise, medical and legal offices, and auto parts stores, as well as mixed-use projects that include these commercial uses on the ground floor.” The proposed use is consistent with the policies of the General Plan, including the following:
 LU3.2.1 – Pursue the expansion of employment-intensive uses that have long-term economic viability.
 ED1.1.1 – Encourage the development of diverse, innovative, and sustainable business enterprises that reinforce Santa Cruz’s position as a regional employment, cultural, visitor, and shopping center.
 ED1.1.2 – Support the development and expansion of businesses that make a balanced contribution to the cultural, environmental, and economic health of the city.  ED1.1.3 – Encourage the development of year-round businesses and visitor activities, resources, and destinations that can also attract and engage local residents.  ED1.1.5 – Encourage additional commercial businesses that support and enhance creative industries and lifestyles, such as marine, retail, visitor, and recreational activities and services.
 ED1.9.1 – Promote and develop clean, visually inviting, and safe shopping environments.  ED2.1 – Foster a robust and diversified economic and municipal tax revenue base.  ED2.1.1 – Recruit new and support existing businesses that generate substantial municipal revenue.
 ED2.1.2 – Maintain and expand retail sales tax opportunities within the city.  ED2.2.3 – Support local and environmentally sound vendors.  ED2.2.4 – Encourage businesses to provide for easy consumer identification of locally produced and environmentally sound goods.
 ED4.3.3 – Encourage the expansion and attraction of commercial businesses and industries that create stable, year-round, livable wage jobs with maximum health benefits.  ED5.2.1 – Encourage neighborhood shopping in nodes of commercial development that serve residential areas and have adequate transit, pedestrian, and bicycle access.  ED6.1.1 – Support the establishment of industries and “lifestyle businesses” that draw on Santa Cruz’s natural assets and environment.
 ED6.2.1 – Support commercial projects that demonstrate a public benefit.  ED6.3 – Foster and retain locally owned businesses and start-ups.

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AGENDA REPORT
PC Meeting of March 7, 2024
SUBJECT: 1129 Mission Street – Project No. CP23-0106

Page 5 of 20 ends

 ED6.3.1 – Assist small businesses and small-scale, low-impact, start-up uses in navigating the City’s permit process, and expedite project review.

The cannabis industry in Santa Cruz as a whole (manufacturing, distribution, labs, retail) benefits the general public by providing additional high-quality jobs within the City, including scientists and other technical positions. The Hook would be one of two cannabis retail stores that serve the westside neighborhoods, as well as visitors to the City. As noted above, the Land Use Element and the Economic Development Element of the City of Santa Cruz 2030 General Plan list goals and policies that support the proposed use at this location.

That said, the General Plan’s Guiding Principles express the city’s “commitment to education through our schools, educational systems and programs.” The Santa Cruz City School District has expressed concerns about the proposed business due to its proximity to and students’ respective routes to and from Santa Cruz High School and Mission Hill Middle School. Opponents to the proposed use indicate that the normalization of cannabis use due to repeated exposure to business patrons and signage or the easy access to the dispensary (for example, for those with fake identification) could result in increased use of cannabis among students, and such use would have implications on children’s health and development due to the detrimental effects of THC on adolescent’s brains, including heightened risks of anxiety, depression, and psychosis. More information on that issue is provided later in this report.

While the proposed use is consistent with a number of General Plan policies as stated above, project opponents would suggest General Plan inconsistencies with policies such as:
 CC7.4 - Enhance programs designed to reinforce positive juvenile behavior and prevent delinquency.
 CC7.4.3 - Work with Santa Cruz City Schools and private schools to provide drug prevention.
 CC8.4.1 - Implement the Safe Routes to School program where funded.

It could be argued that establishment of a cannabis dispensary in the general vicinity of schools is inconsistent with these policies, tempting juveniles into bad behavior (i.e., acquiring fake identification (IDs)) and normalizing the use of cannabis through exposure to the facility along the route to school.

Consistency with the Mission Street Urban Design Plan. The project site is located within the Mission Street Urban Design Plan (MSUDP) which encourages retail uses such as this. The community’s vision is to re-establish Mission Street as a vibrant commercial corridor that recognizes and carefully balances its functions as both a State Highway and local-serving commercial street. As noted in the MSUDP, the corridor should maintain a predominantly commercial mixed-use character. The uses that are considered most appropriate for the Mission Street district will:
 Provide goods and services that cater to the daily needs of the local community;  Provide visitor-serving services that are dependent on highway visibility/frontage;

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 Are compatible with the creation of an attractive, pedestrian-friendly commercial district;  Are not primarily auto-oriented; and
 Are not industrial or manufacturing in nature.

The intent is to create a corridor that is safe, attractive, economically and socially vibrant, which in turn will improve the quality of life for Westside residents.

The project site is within the “Westside Zone” area of the Mission Street Urban Design Plan. The Westside Zone, which extends from (both sides of) Laurel Street to Swift Street, includes predominantly retail and service type uses with scattered residential, office, and institutional uses.

The project meets the objectives of the Westside Zone by way of establishment of a retail use for both residents and visitors. The project also meets the following areawide land use and redevelopment strategy plan objectives and policies:
 Objective 4: To enhance economic and social vitality of the Mission Street corridor by creating a more stable and sustainable mix of uses that serve both community and visitor needs.
 Policy 4b – Establish the Mission Street corridor as an attractive pedestrian-oriented, mixed-use district.
 Policy 4c – Encourage “mixed-use” development and “local-serving” commercial uses as a means of reducing automobile use within the planning area. Development of complementary uses (retail and office, retail and housing, office and housing) in proximity to each other allows residents, employees, and visitors to walk and/or bicycle when undertaking many of the typical daily trips, whether it is going to lunch, running errands, or going out for the evening.
 Objective 5: Promote the revitalization and redevelopment of existing outdated, underutilized, or marginal uses or businesses in order to enhance the economic potential of the area as a whole.
 Policy 5c – Encourage redevelopment and infill development along Mission Street that will improve the corridor’s economic vitality, enhance the definition and character of the corridor, and create better pedestrian scale and orientation.

Mission Street is a commercial corridor providing commercial services to local residents as well as tourists. The site is adjacent to offices, restaurants and other commercial services. The central location of this site will provide convenient access to purchase legal cannabis to west side residents of Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz is a destination for tourism, and a cannabis retailer in this visible location would attract more consumers travelling on Highway 1 to the adult-use market. The project site is positioned to take advantage of the existing heavy tourist traffic on Mission Street.

Consistency with the Zoning Ordinance.

Parking. Section 24.12.240 of the Zoning Ordinance regulates parking, and a typical retail use requires one space for every 250 square feet of floor area. Based on a 2,878 square foot space, the

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proposed uses would normally require 12 spaces. The plans indicate 14 spaces on the parcel, exceeding what would be the required number of parking spaces for the use.

With that being said, California Government Code Section 65863.2 (AB2097), effective on January 1, 2023, prohibits local jurisdictions from imposing minimum automobile parking requirements on most development projects located within a half-mile radius of a major transit stop, which includes the subject site. The City has adopted Zoning Code regulations that effectuate Section 65863.2, so no parking is required on the site pursuant to state and local laws. Although Section 65863.2 would exempt the project from provision of any vehicular parking, the 14 existing spaces will remain available to customers.

In regard to bike parking, Section 24.12.250 of the Zoning Code requires one Class 1 bike parking space and two Class 2 bike parking spaces for the 2,878 square foot retail building. One Class 1 space is proposed within the building, with the two Class 2 spaces located in the parking lot.

Retail Use. The proposed retail cannabis use would be conducted entirely within an existing commercial building. The proposed hours are from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., however the use would be permitted to operate between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., in accordance with section

24.12.1340(3) of the Zoning Ordinance. The Hook Santa Cruz would employ up to ten individuals total on-site and anticipates up to three commercial vehicles entering and existing the site per day.

Deliveries would occur between 8:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, with commercial vehicles being delivery vans that do not exceed 20-feet in length.

The business would provide labeled packaged products and sell them directly to consumers of both the medical and adult-use markets. No cannabis products would be visible from the exterior of the store, and customers would leave the building with products in opaque packaging. Signage would be approved under a separate Design Permit, consistent with Section 24.12.1340 of the Zoning Ordinance regarding size, lighting, and placement. Cannabis refuse would be minimal and would be stored in a secured area. Facility waste would not contain cannabis products, and daily security checks would ensure the waste area remains clean with trash secured in garbage bins.

Security. The applicant is proposing a secure facility and has provided a detailed security plan (Attachment 4) that meets the requirements of the State of California and City of Santa Cruz rules and regulations. The plan includes perimeter security, lighting, and video surveillance. These measures include installing ample physical barriers such as security gates and high-security steel exterior doors and a specially designed inventory room protected by additional high-security steel doors and anti-theft and entrance measures. All entrances to the facility would be secured or barred at all times during non-operating hours.

To enhance security further, an integrated camera and alarm system from Verkada would be installed that combines artificial intelligence with live human monitoring to provide real-time threat detection and ensure swift communication with management and law enforcement in the event of a security breach. Additionally, exterior cameras would be equipped with license plate readers, with remote access to these systems available to SCPD upon request or as needed. The Santa Cruz Police Department has reviewed and accepted the security plan. Conditions of

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Approval indicate that the applicant shall adhere to the security plan as reviewed and accepted by the Police Department.

Performance Standards. Zoning Code Section 24.12.1340 establishes performance standards that all commercial cannabis businesses are required to meet for the duration of the use. The standards regulate criteria such as security, noise, and odor. The following describes how the proposed use meets the required performance standards:

1. The business shall meet all the operating criteria, including security procedures, for the cultivation, distribution and warehousing, manufacturing, testing, and retail sales of cannabis and cannabis products as may be required by the state of California, the Santa Cruz city council and police department, and/or the county health department or their designee.

The Hook Santa Cruz would meet all operating criteria for retail sales of cannabis and cannabis products as required by the state of California, the City of Santa Cruz, and/or the county health department or their designee.

2. No product shall be smoked, ingested, or otherwise consumed on the premises.

The Hook Santa Cruz prohibits and would enforce company policy that no products be smoked, ingested, or otherwise consumed on the premises.

3. The hours of operation shall be limited to no more than 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., dependent upon the specific site characteristics and conditions of approval of the administrative use permit issued for the site. All cannabis retailer businesses holding an administrative use permit prior to October 13, 2020, are allowed to operate and be open to the public until 10:00 p.m. despite the operating hours stated in their original administrative use permit conditions of approval that limit the business to an earlier closure. In general, no cannabis retail business shall open earlier or close later than the other businesses in the vicinity.

The Hook Santa Cruz anticipates hours of operation to be 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. At no time would The Hook Santa Cruz operate outside the 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. limitation stated in the code.

4. The business shall prevent loitering by persons outside the establishment, either on the premises or within fifty feet of the premises.

The Hook Santa Cruz would prevent loitering by persons outside the establishment, either on the premises or within fifty feet of the premises. The Hook Santa Cruz security team, management, and employees are trained to spot, report and resolve any nuisances including loitering.

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5. A cannabis retail business shall provide litter removal services each day of operation on and in front of the premises and, if necessary, on public sidewalks within fifty feet of the premises.

The Hook Santa Cruz would provide litter removal services each day of operation on and in front of the premises and, if necessary, on public sidewalks within fifty feet of the premises.

The security team, management, and employees are trained to spot, report and resolve any litter or debris issues daily.

6. Cannabis businesses shall contain an air filtration system to regulate odor.

The Hook Santa Cruz utilizes an air filtration system and employs an odor management plan.

The security team, management, and employees are trained to spot, report and resolve any odor management issues, including regular maintenance of filtration systems.

The business has a full and robust odor control policy. As of 2018, no cannabis products come into the facility that are not already packaged in state-approved opaque child-resistant packaging. This change in regulations has virtually eliminated all issues of cannabis odors at dispensary facilities, as no cannabis is opened, packaged, consumed, or otherwise available when not in pre-packaged form onsite.

The business would install, maintain, and use REME hydro ionization systems to eliminate odors occurring in and leaving the property. Such systems would be independently tested, and the business would take all necessary steps to prevent odors from leaving the property.

7. All exhaust fans directing air outside shall be secured to prevent forced entry to the facility.

The Hook Santa Cruz would provide adequate security on the premises to ensure the safety of persons and to protect the premises from theft. Security would meet the requirements of state law for cannabis businesses, as well as any additional requirements included as conditions of approval for the Administrative Use Permit.

8. The business shall provide adequate security on the premises to ensure the safety of persons and to protect the premises from theft. All security shall, at a minimum, meet the requirements of state law for cannabis businesses as well as any additional requirements included as conditions of approval for the site use permit. Minimum city security requirements include:
a. Security alarms for the building that include motion activation and manual activation capabilities;
The Hook Santa Cruz would install security alarms for the building that include motion activation and manual activation capabilities;

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b. Exterior security lights that provide three-hundred-sixty-degree coverage around the perimeter of all buildings while meeting the performance standards in the zoning Ordinance;
The Hook Santa Cruz would install, and or upgrade existing exterior security lights that provide three-hundred-sixty-degree coverage around the perimeter of all buildings while meeting the performance standards in the zoning ordinance. c. Exterior security cameras that provide three-hundred-sixty-degree coverage around the perimeter of all egress and ingress into the building. The security camera system shall have the capability to provide the recordings to police within twenty-four hours;
The Hook Santa Cruz would install exterior security cameras that provide 360-degree coverage around the perimeter of all egress and ingress into the building. The security camera system shall have the capability to provide the recordings to police within 24-hours; d. Interior cameras within the business itself that cover the doors, windows, and the sales counter area of the business;
The Hook Santa Cruz would install interior cameras within the business itself that cover the doors, windows, and the sales counter area of the business; e. Doors leading into the vestibules and all rooms used for growing and processing (drying) cannabis must be steel and have a bolt lock or key pad lock; The Hook Santa Cruz would install and or upgrade existing locks doors and security measures pursuant to retail operations. The use does not grow or process (drying) cannabis. f. Fire-Rating. All rooms used for growing and processing shall be fire-rated, with solid core doors, and shall remain locked;
The use would not grow or process (drying) cannabis.
g. Security Doors and Windows. All doors and windows shall be fortified and levered windows replaced with solid windows that have a security coating to prevent illegal entry;
The Hook Santa Cruz would fortify all windows where required. The building has solid windows, no levered windows.
h. Onsite Security Theft Prevention. Cannabis retail businesses that are open to the public shall provide an on-site security guard during business hours and adequate security on the premises, including lighting and alarms, to ensure the safety of persons and to protect the premises from theft. All security procedures and systems shall be

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reviewed and approved by the police department.

The Hook Santa Cruz would be open to the public and would provide an on-site security guard during business hours and adequate security on the premises, including lighting and alarms, to ensure the safety of persons and to protect the premises from theft. All security procedures and systems have been submitted for review by the City of Santa Cruz Police Department.

9. Exterior lighting of the parking area shall be kept at a sufficient intensity so as to provide adequate lighting for patrons and employees, while not disturbing surrounding residential or commercial areas.

Exterior lighting would be provided in the parking area and would be required to be shielded so as to not create glare or disturb neighboring properties.

10. All signage and advertising shall comply with the state of California Business and Professions Code Sections 26150 through 26155 and any modifications or relocations of these code sections. In addition, any form of advertisement or signage that includes pricing of cannabis and cannabis products, details related to specific cannabis products, or photography or graphics of the cannabis plant or cannabis products is prohibited except on a dedicated business website accessible only through an age gate portal. Other than the above-noted restrictions related to pricing, specific cannabis products, photography, and graphics, signage shall be regulated by Part 4, Advertising Devices, Signs and Billboards, of this chapter, Community Design. The above-noted restrictions related to pricing, specific cannabis products, photography, and graphics apply to consumer advertising and signage and do not apply to direct, business-to-business advertising that is not available to the general public.

The Hook Santa Cruz would ensure all signage and advertising complies with the state of California Business and Professions Code Sections 26150 through 26155 and any modifications or relocations of these code sections. The business would refrain from any form of advertisement or signage that includes pricing of cannabis and cannabis products, details related to specific cannabis products, or photography or graphics of the cannabis plant or cannabis products is prohibited except on a dedicated business website accessible only through an age gate portal. All signage would adhere to Part 4, Advertising Devices, Signs and Billboards, of the City of Santa Cruz Zoning Ordinance.

11. The business shall provide the zoning administrator, the chief of police, and all neighbors located within fifty feet of the establishment with the name, phone number, and facsimile number of an on-site community relations staff person to whom notice can be provided if there are operating problems associated with the establishment. The business shall make every good faith effort to encourage neighbors to call this person to try to solve operating problems, if any, before any calls or complaints are made to the police department or the zoning administrator.

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The Hook Santa Cruz would provide the zoning administrator, the chief of police, and all neighbors located within fifty feet of the establishment with the name, phone number, and email address of an on-site community relations staff person to whom notice can be provided if there are operating problems associated with the establishment. A good faith effort would be made to encourage neighbors to call the representative to solve operating problems, if any, before any calls or complaints are made to the Police or Planning Departments.

12. The business shall post a copy of the conditions of approval for the administrative use permit on the premises in a place where it may be readily viewed by any member of the general public. A copy of the city cannabis retailer license (for retail businesses) and the state cannabis license (for all cannabis businesses) shall also be posted in a prominent position on the premises.

The Hook Santa Cruz would post a copy of the conditions of approval for the administrative use permit on the premises in a place where it may be readily viewed by any member of the general public. A copy of the city cannabis retailer license (for retail businesses) and the state cannabis license (for all cannabis businesses) shall also be posted in a prominent position on the premises.

13. The business shall meet any specific additional operating procedures and measures as may be imposed as conditions of approval by the zoning administrator at the time of issuance of the administrative use permit in order to ensure that the business will be a good neighbor.

The Hook Santa Cruz would meet any specific additional operating procedures and measures as may be imposed as conditions of approval by the Planning Commission at the time of issuance of the administrative use permit in order to ensure that the business will be a good neighbor.

14. In addition to the required application materials, the business shall submit an operations manual to describe the operation of the facility in conformance with these performance standards and the requirements of state law. The operations manual shall be consistent with the operations plan submitted to the state in the business’s state license application.

The Hook Santa Cruz has prepared an operations manual to describe the operation of the facility in conformance with these performance standards and the requirements of state law.

The operations manual is consistent with the operations plan submitted to the state for the state license application.

15. To offset power consumption, the business shall install solar panels to provide as much power as possible for the indoor cultivation and manufacturing of cannabis and cannabis products. Businesses that can demonstrate low power usage or that use power from clean energy sources may be excused from this requirement. Commercial cannabis businesses shall meet the city’s green building requirements.

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The proposed use would not engage in indoor cultivation and manufacturing of cannabis and cannabis products. The new business would meet the city’s green building requirements as applicable.

16. Trash containing cannabis and cannabis products or byproducts shall be disposed of securely. The business owner shall work with the police department and the city’s waste/recycling program to create a process for safe and secure disposal of waste materials.

The Hook Santa Cruz would ensure trash containing cannabis and cannabis products or byproducts are disposed of securely. The business would work with the police department and the city’s waste/recycling program to create a process for safe and secure disposal of waste materials. Trash, recycling, and compost are stored in a secured area and removed by the waste management company. Facility waste would never contain cannabis products. Daily security checks would ensure the waste area remains clean with trash secured in garbage bins.

17. A cannabis business is not allowed as an accessory use to any other principal, special, or conditional use. All cannabis businesses are subject to the applicable administrative use permit and cannabis retailer license requirements.

The use would not operate as an accessory use to any other principal, special, or conditional use and would abide by, submit and operate under all applicable administrative use permit and cannabis retailer license requirements.

18. A cannabis business shall not be operated as a home occupation.

The use is being proposed at a commercial location and would not operate as a home occupation.

Siting Criteria. Section 24.12.1320(5) of the Zoning Ordinance requires that cannabis retail sales facilities maintain a 600-foot buffer from schools, parks, day care centers, and youth centers. In addition, no new retail sales facility can be located within 600 feet from an existing cannabis retail sales facility. Zoning Ordinance Section 12.12.1330 allows for exceptions to the 600-foot separations when certain findings are made. However, no such exceptions are being requested.

The proposed project meets all of the specified setback requirements, including maintaining a distance of approximately 850 feet from Santa Cruz High School and approximately 1,360 feet from Mission Hill Middle School.

Looking back at the origins of the 600-foot buffer zone, staff found that it originated well before the State of California approved Proposition 64, the “Control, Regulate and Tax Adult Use of Marijuana Act” (AUMA) which legalized the recreational use of marijuana within the State in November of 2016. In 1996 California voters passed Proposition 215, the “Compassionate Use Act of 1996.” This act provided for the regulation of medical marijuana. The City’s earlier medical marijuana ordinance, originally approved in 2000, went through an extensive ordinance amendment process in 2010. Those revisions restricted the cultivation, production, acquisition,

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and dispensing of medical marijuana to within an approved dispensary and at the same time limited the number of dispensaries within the City to a maximum of two. The original siting criteria included a 600-foot setback from any residential zoning district, any other medical marijuana dispensary, any public or private school, a public park with a children’s playground, an alcohol or drug recovery or treatment facility, or any residential facility providing mental health/social rehabilitation services. That original siting criteria restricted where medical marijuana dispensaries could locate to a small section of the Harvey West industrial area and another small section in the west side industrial area.

Following the approval of AUMA, the city began the process of adopting a new cannabis ordinance in 2017. In discussions with City departments including the Santa Cruz Police Department (SCPD), the Economic Development Department, the Finance Department, the Public Works Department, the City Manager’s Office, and the City Attorney’s Office, several suggestions for regulation of recreational marijuana emerged. State law required a 600-foot buffer, and SCPD suggested that recreational marijuana retail businesses be treated similarly to tobacco businesses, which require a 600-foot buffer from high-risk alcohol outlets (primarily bars and liquor stores).

SCPD also recommended that cannabis retail outlets be spread throughout the City rather than concentrated in specific areas. After reviewing a map with these restrictions and discussing the issue with other departments, it was determined that the 600-foot buffer between marijuana outlets would resolve these issues. In November of 2017, the City Council adopted the new ordinance, establishing the 600-foot buffer and limited the number of retail establishments to five.

The following map indicates the locations within the City that meet AUMA locational restrictions as well as proposed zoning district restrictions (but the map does not include the buffering requirement from other cannabis retailers):

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As the map shows, these restrictions result in a limited number of locations throughout the City where retail outlets would be allowed. The map is also available online at www.cityofsantacruz.com/government/city-departments/planning-and-communitydevelopment/planning-division/cannabis-license-regulations, where users can zoom in to more readily view individual parcels.

Administrative Use Permit. Cannabis retail sales are permitted in the MU-M zone district with the approval of an Administrative Use Permit (AUP). Zoning Code Section 24.12.1350 establishes findings to be determined by the appropriate hearing body in order to approve an AUP for a cannabis use:

1. The proposed use complies with all of the mandatory requirements of this section and other applicable sections of this code and applicable policies of the General Plan and local coastal program if located within the Coastal Zone;

2. The proposed use will not adversely affect the health, safety, or welfare of area residents, businesses, or uses; will not result in an undue concentration of cannabis businesses in any one neighborhood or district; and will not be located within proximity of an incompatible use, such as a children’s school, daycare facility, or youth center;

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3. The operational characteristics of the proposed use, including but not limited to hours of operation, noise, odor, amount and location of parking, signage, loitering, and litter, will not have a negative impact upon the surrounding area;

4. The proposed use is compatible with the sizes and types of other neighboring uses in the surrounding area, particularly those used primarily by persons under the age of eighteen;

5. The proposed use is not located in what has been determined by the Santa Cruz police department to be a high-crime area, where a disproportionate number of police service calls occur, or where there is currently parking congestion; and

6. The proposed use shall meet all the building, electrical, and fire code requirements for such occupancy.

Upon the review of these findings, staff found that they can be made based on the information provided by the applicant and the proposed retail use meeting the required Zoning Code requirements as discussed above. Concerns have been expressed by the Santa Cruz School District over the location of the proposed use and its proximity to Santa Cruz High School and Mission Hill Middle School, raising the question as to whether the application meets the intent of finding number two regarding the cannabis retail use being “located within proximity of an incompatible use, such as a children’s school, daycare facility, or youth center.” While the use meets the objective standard of a minimum 600-foot buffer from said schools, daycare facilities and youth centers, the question arises as to whether the cannabis retail use could be considered “within proximity” and “adversely affect the health, safety, or welfare” of proximate uses, namely students at the high school or middle school. A similar argument could be made for finding four, which speaks to the use being compatible with "other neighboring uses in the surrounding area, particularly those used primarily by persons under the age of eighteen.” These findings are more subjective than the strict separation requirements, hence the AUP being a discretionary decision by a hearing body.

As discussed above and demonstrated on the 600-foot buffer map, the number of locations available for cannabis retail uses is limited. The 600-buffer zone was thoroughly discussed as part of the cannabis ordinance adoption process, with input from SCPD, the public, and the City Council. SCPD reviewed both the cannabis retail license transfer as well as the subject AUP application. With the project outside of the buffer zone and the stringent ID requirements for adults 21 years old and older, SCPD did not express any concerns with the proposed location.

Additionally, as part of the review of this application SCPD researched their records for the other cannabis retail outlets in the city and found no complaints or service calls for cannabis sales to minors. Based on these facts, it could be argued that the proposed retail use does not qualify as “within proximity” of a school and that it would not “adversely affect the health, safety, or welfare” of students. It could also appear to be unfair to the applicant for the city to “move the goal posts,” so to speak, claiming the established 600-foot buffer to be insufficient.

Many concerns about the proposed use at this location have been expressed by the Santa Cruz School District and parents of Santa Cruz High and Mission Hill Middle School students, and

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those concerns are understandable. A number of students from both schools walk and bike by this location each day, with the signalized intersection of Laurel and Mission Streets serving as one of the two primary locations where students cross Mission Street (the other being three blocks away at Walnut Avenue), and the presence of a dispensary could be conveyed as normalizing cannabis use. Additionally, it is not uncommon for underage individuals to obtain fake identification or medical cannabis cards, raising concerns about the potential for younger students to gain access to cannabis through fake identification or for students to acquire these cards and distribute cannabis to younger peers. In addition to providing a letter of opposition (Attachment 5) to the proposed application, the Superintendent of Santa Cruz City Schools has also included a number of articles (Attachment 6) on the impact of THC (a psychoactive ingredient in some cannabis products) on youth, the impact of dispensaries to schools, the acquiring of fake IDs, and relevant school data on marijuana use within the school district. Some of the key findings from those articles include:
 Marijuana use has been associated with several adverse mental health outcomes, including increased incidence of addiction and comorbid substance use, suicidality, and new-onset psychosis;
 Negative impacts on cognition and academic performance;  Nine percent of youth in grades 9 to 12 use marijuana daily or nearly every day, an increase of 80% since 2008;
 Vaping marijuana by teens doubled between 2013 and 2020;  Young adults who live in neighborhoods with a higher number of medical marijuana dispensaries use pot more frequently than their peers, with storefront signage being extremely influential;
 A Santa Cruz High School focus group notified the Superintendent that acquiring fake IDs is incredibly easy for students and that they are available to students from people in the community and easily accessible online; and
 Santa Cruz City School High School District reported 91 incidents that resulted in students being suspended for possession or use of a controlled substance during the school day during the 2022-2023 school year. 95% or more of these were for vaping marijuana.

To add to the discussion, the applicant has also provided data regarding the effects of marijuana on young people (psychosis, neurocognitive functioning) (Attachments 7) and the effectiveness of identification policies at cannabis outlets, assessing the ease of access to marijuana by underage patrons (Attachments 8). Some key findings from information provided by the applicant include:
 Contrary to concerns that cannabis could cause mental illness, regular marijuana use over two years did not trigger early onset of symptoms in teens and young adults at risk of developing psychotic disorders;
 Modest improvements in cognitive functioning and a decrease in the use of other medications was found among marijuana users (tracking 210 patients, aged 12-25, from an Early Detection and Intervention for the Prevention of Psychosis Program (EDEPPP) over two years);
 Continuous cannabis use was not associated with an increased rate of transitioning to psychosis, nor did it worsen clinical symptoms, functioning levels, or overall neurocognition;

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 Licensed recreational marijuana outlets in California are effective in preventing underage customers from accessing marijuana. This may be due to strong incentives for outlet owners and managers to comply with the law to avoid legal consequences; and  Underage youth are not obtaining marijuana from licensed recreational outlets.

Other considerations that have arisen during the review of this application follow:
 While the general population must be 21 years old or older to purchase recreational cannabis, adults 18 years old and older who have a doctor’s prescription for medical cannabis use can also legally purchase cannabis at retail stores. Anecdotes have pointed to ease of obtaining a medical cannabis card, which have raised concerns about 18-year-old high school students having legal access to cannabis products, which they could then distribute to others. To combat this concern, the applicant has voluntarily agreed to not sell cannabis to anyone under the age of 19 years, even if they have a valid medical cannabis prescription.
 The applicant has claimed that student's cannabis access is not from legal sources, noting that legal products can be traced. While it may be true that students are accessing cannabis through illegal sales or unpermitted distribution, it is also likely true that students would not necessarily maintain the original packaging of products purchased legally. Thus, it would not be easy to determine whether products possessed by students were initially acquired through legal retailers or not.

Health in all Policies (HiAP)
HiAP is a collaborative approach to improving the health of all people by incorporating health considerations into decision-making across sectors and policy areas. HiAP is based on 3 pillars:
equity, public health, and sustainability. The goal of HiAP is to ensure that all decision-makers are informed about the health, equity, and sustainability impacts of various policy options during the policy development process. The project supports the pillar of equity by providing a range of jobs that cater to diverse backgrounds, and by providing both medicinal and recreational cannabis to locals and visitors of all income levels. The proposed use is on a site that is improved with sidewalks and street trees and that is close to public transportation, commercial goods and services, and residential areas.

A business in this central location encourages a sustainable and healthy lifestyle by promoting alternative forms of transportation, such as walking or biking for retail shopping needs.

Additionally, the business will employ sustainable practices, including enrolling in the PG&E Solar Choice program, retrofitting all existing faucets in the building to enhance water conservation, and minimizing waste by separating all refuse into trash, recycling, and compost. The business will generate consistent Cannabis Business Tax which can be used to further HiAP objectives, including a portion of which that is dedicated to funding services and programs for those 25 years old and younger. Therefore, the project can be considered consistent with the three pillars of the HiAP.

In letters of opposition to the project, commenters suggested the use is inconsistent with HiAP policies. One could argue inconsistency with the HiAP health pillar based on the potential for the

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location to normalize cannabis use, that such normalization could increase youth use, and on evidence presented that cannabis use negatively impacts developing brains of youth.

ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The project is categorically exempt from environmental review under Class 1 of the CEQA Guidelines, Section 15301, which allows for minor alterations to existing facilities that result in negligible or no expansion of the existing use. The proposed project meets this exemption since it is proposing a specialty retail store within an existing commercial building previously used as a retail store, with no proposed expansion to the building.

None of the exceptions to the exemptions under Section 15300.2 apply to the project in that the project is not part of a larger project that could result in a cumulative impact, there are no unusual circumstances associated with the project or subject parcel, the project will not result in damage to resources associated with an officially designated scenic highway, the project site is not included on any lists compiled pursuant to Section 65962.5 of the Government Code related to Hazardous Waste Sites, and the project will not result in substantial adverse changes in the significance of a historical resource site.

SUMMARY
The proposed cannabis retail use meets all of the objective standards laid out in the City Zoning Code. That being said, subjective findings raise some questions as to the potential impacts the use could have on high school and middle school students given the proximity to the high school and the site’s location at a key Mission Street crossing. There are certainly merits to both arguments, and both sides present valid points. Hence, staff recommends that the Planning Commission consider the information provided and make a determination to approve or deny the application based on one of the resolutions provided. The attached approval resolution includes findings supporting the approval, coupled with conditions of approval. The attached denial resolution includes findings supporting a denial.

Submitted by:

Ryan Bane
Senior Planner
Approved by:

Lee Butler
Planning & Community Development Director
Attachments:

1. Resolution with findings and conditions of approval

2. Resolution with findings for denial

3. Project Plans

4. Operations Narrative/Security Plan

25.154

AGENDA REPORT
PC Meeting of March 7, 2024
SUBJECT: 1129 Mission Street – Project No. CP23-0106

Page 20 of 20 ends

5. Opposition email from Kris Munro, SC City Schools Superintendent

6. Articles re: Impact of THC on Youth, Proximity of Dispensaries to Schools, Acquisition of Fake Identifications, and Santa Cruz City Schools Data

7. Article re: Cannabis Use, Psychosis, Cognitive Impairment

8. Article re: Youth Access to Licensed Dispensaries

9. Letter from the applicant dated February 28, 2024

10. Letter from the applicant RE: Move On Petition “Protect our Youth”

11. Correspondence

25.155

CITY OF SANTA CRUZ
City Hall
809 Center Street
Santa Cruz, California 95060

PLANNING COMMISSION

MINUTES
Regular Meeting
March 7, 2024
7:00 P.M. GENERAL BUSINESS AND MATTERS OF PUBLIC INTEREST, COUNCIL CHAMBERS Call to Order-The meeting was called to order at 7:02 p.m.

Roll Call-Commissioners Dann, Gordon, Kennedy, McKelvey, Polhamus, Thompson, and Conway were present.

Absent-None.

Statements of Disqualification-None.

Oral Communications-Chair Conway opened Oral Communications for members of the public who wished to speak regarding items not on the agenda. The following members of the public spoke: none.

Approval of Minutes

1. Approval the Minutes of February 15, 2024.

MOTION: Commissioner Dann moved, seconded by Commissioner Kennedy, to approve the minutes of February 15, 2024.

ACTION: Motion passed by the following vote:

AYES: Dann, Gordon, Kennedy, McKelvey, Polhamus, Thompson, Conway NOES: None
Public Hearings

2. 1129 Mission Street, Project Number CP23-0106, Assessor’s Parcel Number: 006-493-27 Administrative Use Permit to establish a cannabis retail facility on a parcel in the MU-M (Mixed-Use Medium Density) zone district and within the Mission Street Urban Design Plan. Project is not located in the Coastal Zone. Environmental Determination:

Categorical Exemption; Applicant: Bryce Berryessa; Filed 9/14/2023.

25.156
Senior Planner Ryan Bane gave a presentation and responded to Commissioner questions.

Planning Director Lee Butler and City Atorney Cassie Bronson also responded to Commissioner questions.

Applicant Bryce Berryessa yielded the floor to representatives from Santa Cruz City Schools.

Kris Monroe, Derek Kendall, Michelle Poer, Sage (last name not given), and Claudia Vestal addressed the Commission.

Applicant Berryessa addressed the Commission and gave a presentation. Valerie Leveron Corral also addressed the Commission.

The public hearing was opened.

The following members of the public spoke to the Commission: Stephanie Kimitsuka, Annette Olsen, Terry Sardinas, Mindy White, Tim (last name not given), Mike (last name not given),
MOTION: Motion made by Commissioner Thompson, seconded by Commissioner Dann, to acknowledge the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) determination and adopt the resolution approving the administrative use permit to establish a cannabis retail facility on a parcel in the MU-M (Mixed Use Medium Density) zone district and within the Mission Street Urban Design Plan (Application No. CP23-0106) and the findings and conditions of approval therein.

ACTION: The motion passed by the following vote:

AYES: Dann, Gordon, Kennedy, Thompson, Conway
NOES: McKelvey, Polhamus
Information Items-Planning Director Lee Butler advised the Commission of City Council actions and items anticipated for public hearing at future Planning Commission meetings.

Subcommittee/Advisory Body Oral Reports-None.

Adjournment-The meeting adjourned at 10:21 p.m.

25.157
From: MCB President
To: Matt Huffaker; Fred Keeley; Renee Golder; Sandy Brown; Sonja Brunner; Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson; Scott Newsome; Martine Watkins; City Plan; Lee Butler; Ryan Bane Cc: [email protected]; [email protected]
Subject: Dispensary Opposition From Monarch"s Parent Board Date: Friday, March 15, 2024 9:39:18 AM
Attachments: Dispensary Opposition MCB.pdf
Dear City Leaders,
We, the Monarch Community Parent Board, join our sister schools - Santa Cruz High School, Mission Hill Middle School, and Bay View Elementary - and the Board of the Santa Cruz City School District, and unanimously oppose the proposed dispensary at 1129 Mission Street.

While we don’t oppose marijuana use or dispensaries in general, as parents, we are concerned with the lack of consideration given to the proximity of the proposed dispensary to under-aged children at schools 800 feet away.

As noted in the letter from parents of children at these schools, “Statistics from the California Healthy Kids Survey are also alarming, with one in three Santa Cruz High School students already reporting marijuana use by 9th grade. Adding a dispensary in such close proximity exacerbates this issue, leading to increased accessibility and, consequently, more adverse effects.

Furthermore, findings from the National Institute on Drug Abuse have shown that marijuana use in youth can impair neural connectivity, affecting critical functions such as alertness, memory, and executive skills, which are essential for their academic achievement and overall development.”
We urge you to strongly consider the voices of the parents, prioritize our children’s health and well being, and deny the requested permit.

Respectfully,
Monarch Community Parent Board
--
Co-Presidents Nick Labadie and Stephanie Lovejoy
Submit Feedback for the MCB here
Information: monarchcommunity.org
Donations: Paypal,
Venmo: @MonarchBoard

25.158
From: Tiffany Timares
To: Matt Huffaker; Fred Keeley; Renee Golder; Sandy Brown; Sonja Brunner; Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson; Scott Newsome; Martine Watkins; City Plan; Lee Butler; Ryan Bane Subject: Hundreds of Kids at this intersection
Date: Friday, March 15, 2024 4:03:44 PM
Dear City Leaders,
I am writing to you with deep concerns about the proposed dispensary at 1129 Mission Street. The proximity to Mission Hill Middle, Santa Cruz High School, and Bay View Elementary raises significant alarm.

My objections are not to marijuana or dispensaries in general. I am alarmed by the implications for our children's health and development due to easy access to the dispensary. Research by the National Institute of Mental Health and the World Health Organization has documented the detrimental effects of THC on adolescents' brains. These include heightened risks of anxiety, depression, and psychosis. Furthermore, findings from the National Institute on Drug Abuse have shown that marijuana use in youth can impair neural connectivity, affecting critical functions such as alertness, memory, and executive skills, which are essential for their academic achievement and overall development.

Statistics from the California Healthy Kids Survey are also alarming, with one in three Santa Cruz High School students already reporting marijuana use by 9th grade. Adding a dispensary in such close proximity exacerbates this issue, leading to increased accessibility and, consequently, more adverse effects.

The existing guideline that requires a minimum of 600 feet of separation between dispensaries and schools does not provide adequate protection. The Monterey County Cannabis Public Health Risk Matrix suggests a safer buffer of 2,000 feet to protect our youth from exposure to marijuana retail dispensaries.

Given the city's commitment to the Health in All Policies (HiAP) approach and the Children & Youth Bill of Rights, it is imperative that you deny this dispensary application. These policies are designed to safeguard the well-being and development of our youth. Allowing a dispensary to operate close to our local schools contradicts these values.

I strongly advocate for rejecting the dispensary application at the proposed location and urge a revision of the city's zoning guidelines to mandate a greater distance between dispensaries and schools and childcare facilities. Our community's future, children's health, and success depend on our willingness to make decisions that prioritize their health and well-being.

I trust in your commitment to the welfare of our community's youth.

Respectfully,
Tiffany Timares
[Your Name]
Concerned Community Member
Address
1141 Laurel Street
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Sent from my iPad

25.159
From: Patricia Dunlap
To: Matt Huffaker; Fred Keeley; Renee Golder; Sandy Brown; Sonja Brunner; Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson; Scott Newsome; Martine Watkins; City Plan; Lee Butler; Ryan Bane Subject: Protect Our Youth
Date: Sunday, March 10, 2024 11:02:40 PM
Dear City Leaders,
I am writing to you with deep concerns about the proposed dispensary at 1129 Mission Street. The proximity to Mission Hill Middle, Santa Cruz High School, and Bay View Elementary raises significant alarm.

I trust in your commitment to the welfare of our community's youth.

Respectfully,
Patricia Dunlap
SCHS Parent
2106 Ocean St. Ext.

25.160
From: Clea Hermanson
To: Matt Huffaker; Fred Keeley; Renee Golder; Sandy Brown; Sonja Brunner; Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson; Scott Newsome; Martine Watkins; City Plan; Lee Butler; Ryan Bane Subject: Protect Our Youth
Date: Monday, March 11, 2024 9:39:17 AM
Dear City Leaders,
If you care at all about our children you will protect them! I am writing to you with deep concerns about the proposed dispensary at 1129 Mission Street. The proximity to Mission Hill Middle, Santa Cruz High School, and Bay View Elementary raises significant alarm.

I trust in your commitment to the welfare of our community's youth.

Respectfully,
Clea Hermanson
Concerned Community Member
85 Westdale Drive, Santa Cruz, CA 95060

25.161
From: Genoa Brown
To: City Plan; City Council; Ryan Bane; [email protected] Subject: Support for Hook Outlet
Date: Tuesday, April 09, 2024 10:34:44 AM
Dear City Council and Staff,
As an educator and mother of 2 in our community, I am writing to express my support for The Hook Outlet’s new dispensary at 1129 Mission St. Their comprehensive approach to
mitigating potential impacts on youth, such as their agerelated sales limitations and youth non-diversion program, demonstrates a clear commitment to the safety and well-being of our young people.

Their willingness to collaborate with the school board and community groups such as Community Prevention Partners
and take additional steps to ensure that their operations do not negatively impact our youth is commendable. The Hook Outlet's responsible and proactive approach sets a high standard for cannabis dispensaries.

Sincerely,
Genoa Brown
Creative Director; Music Educator
Everyone’s Music School

25.162
From: Jurij Kokolskyj
To: City Plan; City Council; Ryan Bane; [email protected] Subject: Support for The Hook Outlet"s / WAMM Phytotherapies Dispensary at 1129 Mission St.

Date: Monday, April 08, 2024 4:59:12 PM
Dear City Council Members,
I strongly oppose the proposed moratorium on the new dispensary at 1129 Mission St, which offers vital economic opportunities and promotes responsible business practices in our community. Passing such a moratorium would erode public trust and raise concerns about the integrity and accountability of our local government.

Empowering our youth starts with open dialogue and education about responsible cannabis use. It's crucial to acknowledge that access to cannabis for young people isn't solely determined by proximity to legal dispensaries; it begins at home. By fostering transparency and informed discussions, we can equip our children with the knowledge to make responsible choices.

The applicant’s security plan emphasizes community safety, with advanced measures to prevent youth access. Their collaboration with local authorities underscores their commitment to responsible operations. Additionally, the economic benefits of the dispensary, including job creation and tax revenue, could support education initiatives in our community.

In conclusion, imposing a moratorium would hinder responsible business progress and completely disregard community input. I urge you to prioritize fairness, transparency, and support for local businesses. Otherwise, democracy truly dies with us.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Jurij Kokolskyj
Santa Cruz Resident

25.163
From: Isabel Bareno Egan
To: City Council; Ryan Bane; [email protected]
Subject: Support for WAMM Phytotherapies and The Hook Dispensary at 1129 Mission St.

Date: Monday, April 08, 2024 12:49:37 PM
Dear City Council and Staff,
As a Santa Cruz resident, I strongly support The Hook Outlet’s and WAMM Phytotherapies (WAMM) proposed dispensary at 1129 Mission St. This project aligns with our community's values by demonstrating a model of responsible cannabis operations, economic benefits, and prioritizing the well-being of our most vulnerable members.

The Hook Outlet's partnership with WAMM, the nation's oldest and most respected medical cannabis collective, underscores their commitment to compassionate care. This location will ensure WAMM can continue and expand its 30+ year mission of providing free medicine to our community's most vulnerable residents.

The Hook Outlet's track record demonstrates their dedication to exceeding regulatory standards. Their comprehensive security plan and discreet facility design prioritize community safety. Their voluntary age restriction policy and work on youth prevention initiatives like www.safecannabis.net exhibit a proactive commitment to protecting our youth.

Beyond regulations, The Hook Outlet has proven to be an asset to Santa Cruz. Their job creation, local tax contributions, and support for non-profits through their community outreach programs demonstrate tangible benefits to our local economy and social fabric.

In conclusion, The Hook Outlet exemplifies a responsible cannabis business with a heart for our community. Their dedication to safety, partnership with WAMM, and positive community impact make this project a win for Santa Cruz. I urge the City Council and Staff to approve their application.

Sincerely,
Isabel Bareno-Egan
95060
Santa Cruz Resident
Sent from my iPhone

25.164
From: Isabel Bareno Egan
To: City Council; Ryan Bane; [email protected]
Subject: Support for WAMM Phytotherapies and The Hook Dispensary at 1129 Mission St.

Date: Monday, April 08, 2024 12:49:07 PM
Dear City Council and Staff,
As a Santa Cruz resident, I strongly support The Hook Outlet’s and WAMM Phytotherapies (WAMM) proposed dispensary at 1129 Mission St. This project aligns with our community's values by demonstrating a model of responsible cannabis operations, economic benefits, and prioritizing the well-being of our most vulnerable members.

Sincerely,
Santa Cruz Resident
Sent from my iPhone

25.165
From: Erin Lee
To: City Council; Ryan Bane; [email protected]
Subject: Support for WAMM Phytotherapies and The Hook Dispensary at 1129 Mission St.

Date: Sunday, April 07, 2024 7:20:34 AM
Dear City Council and Staff,
As a Santa Cruz resident, I strongly support The Hook Outlet’s and WAMM Phytotherapies (WAMM) proposed dispensary at 1129 Mission St. This project aligns with our community's values by demonstrating a model of responsible cannabis operations, economic benefits, and prioritizing the well-being of our most vulnerable members.

Sincerely,
Erin Lee
District 4
Santa Cruz Resident

25.166
From: ariana perez
To: City Council; Ryan Bane; [email protected]
Subject: Support for WAMM Phytotherapies and The Hook Dispensary at 1129 Mission St.

Date: Saturday, April 06, 2024 7:08:39 PM
Dear City Council and Staff,
As a Santa Cruz resident, I strongly support The Hook Outlet’s and WAMM Phytotherapies (WAMM) proposed dispensary at 1129 Mission St. This project aligns with our community's values by demonstrating a model of responsible cannabis operations, economic benefits, and prioritizing the well-being of our most vulnerable members.

Sincerely,
Santa Cruz Resident
Sent from my iPhone

25.167
From: Bonnie Ruzon
To: City Council; Ryan Bane; [email protected]
Subject: Support for WAMM Phytotherapies and The Hook Dispensary at 1129 Mission St.

Date: Saturday, April 06, 2024 12:41:23 PM
Dear City Council and Staff,
As a Santa Cruz resident, I strongly support The Hook Outlet’s and WAMM Phytotherapies (WAMM) proposed dispensary at 1129 Mission St. This project aligns with our community's values by demonstrating a model of responsible cannabis operations, economic benefits, and prioritizing the well-being of our most vulnerable members.

Sincerely,
Santa Cruz Resident
Sent from my iPhone

25.168
From: Ilyaas Arsala
To: Ryan Bane
Subject: Support for WAMM Phytotherapies and The Hook Dispensary at 1129 Mission St.

Date: Tuesday, April 02, 2024 1:58:22 PM
Dear City Council and Staff,
As a Santa Cruz resident, I strongly support The Hook Outlet’s and WAMM Phytotherapies (WAMM) proposed dispensary at 1129 Mission St. This project aligns with our community's values by demonstrating a model of responsible cannabis operations, economic benefits, and prioritizing the well-being of our most vulnerable members.

Sincerely,
Santa Cruz Resident
Sent from my iPhone

25.169
From: Jimi Doss
To: City Council; Ryan Bane; [email protected]
Subject: Support for WAMM Phytotherapies and The Hook Dispensary at 1129 Mission St.

Date: Tuesday, April 02, 2024 7:44:49 AM
Dear City Council and Staff,
As a Santa Cruz resident, I strongly support The Hook Outlet’s and WAMM Phytotherapies (WAMM) proposed dispensary at 1129 Mission St. This project aligns with our community's values by demonstrating a model of responsible cannabis operations, economic benefits, and prioritizing the well-being of our most vulnerable members.

Sincerely, James Doss
Santa Cruz County Resident

25.170
From: Sampson Vu
To: City Council; Ryan Bane; [email protected]
Subject: Support for WAMM Phytotherapies and The Hook Dispensary at 1129 Mission St.

Date: Monday, April 01, 2024 2:00:22 PM
Dear City Council and Staff,
As a Santa Cruz resident, I strongly support The Hook Outlet’s and WAMM Phytotherapies (WAMM) proposed dispensary at 1129 Mission St. This project aligns with our community's values by demonstrating a model of responsible cannabis operations, economic benefits, and prioritizing the well-being of our most vulnerable members.

Sincerely,
Santa Cruz Resident

25.171
From: Josue Mena
To: City Council; Ryan Bane; [email protected]
Subject: Support for WAMM Phytotherapies and The Hook Dispensary at 1129 Mission St.

Date: Sunday, March 31, 2024 5:36:17 PM
Dear City Council and Staff,
As a Santa Cruz resident, I strongly support The Hook Outlet’s and WAMM Phytotherapies (WAMM) proposed dispensary at 1129 Mission St. This project aligns with our community's values by demonstrating a model of responsible cannabis operations, economic benefits, and prioritizing the well-being of our most vulnerable members. The Hook Outlet's partnership with WAMM, the nation's oldest and most respected medical cannabis collective, underscores their commitment to compassionate care. This location will ensure WAMM can continue and expand its 30+ year mission of providing free medicine to our community's most vulnerable residents. The Hook Outlet's track record demonstrates their dedication to exceeding regulatory standards. Their comprehensive security plan and discreet facility design prioritize community safety. Their voluntary age restriction policy and work on youth prevention initiatives like www.safecannabis.net exhibit a proactive commitment to protecting our youth.

Their dedication to safety, partnership with WAMM, and positive community impact make this project a win for Santa Cruz. I urge the City Council and Staff to approve their application.

Sincerely,
Josue Mena, District 6

25.172
From: David Pinto
To: City Council; Ryan Bane; [email protected]
Subject: Support for WAMM Phytotherapies and The Hook Dispensary at 1129 Mission St.

Date: Friday, March 29, 2024 9:50:09 AM
Dear City Council and Staff,
As a Santa Cruz resident, I strongly support The Hook Outlet’s and WAMM Phytotherapies (WAMM) proposed dispensary at 1129 Mission St. This project aligns with our community's values by demonstrating a model of responsible cannabis operations, economic benefits, and prioritizing the well-being of our most vulnerable members.

Sincerely,
Santa Cruz Resident
Sent from my iPhone

25.173
From: Maddie Rons
To: City Council; Ryan Bane; [email protected]
Subject: Support for WAMM Phytotherapies and The Hook Dispensary at 1129 Mission St.

Date: Friday, March 29, 2024 12:25:47 AM
Dear City Council and Staff,
As a Santa Cruz resident, I strongly support The Hook Outlet’s and WAMM Phytotherapies (WAMM) proposed dispensary at 1129 Mission St. This project aligns with our community's values by demonstrating a model of responsible cannabis operations, economic benefits, and prioritizing the well-being of our most vulnerable members.

Sincerely,
Santa Cruz Resident
Madeline Rons

25.174
From: John Grady
To: City Council; Ryan Bane; [email protected]
Subject: Support for WAMM Phytotherapies and The Hook Dispensary at 1129 Mission St.

Date: Thursday, March 28, 2024 6:53:59 PM
Dear City Council and Staff,
As a Santa Cruz resident, I strongly support The Hook Outlet’s and WAMM Phytotherapies (WAMM) proposed dispensary at 1129 Mission St. This project aligns with our community's values by demonstrating a model of responsible cannabis operations, economic benefits, and prioritizing the well-being of our most vulnerable members.

Sincerely,
John Grady, DO, MBA
Santa Cruz Resident

25.175
From: Eric Hara
To: City Council; Ryan Bane; [email protected]
Subject: Support for WAMM Phytotherapies and The Hook Dispensary at 1129 Mission St.

Date: Thursday, March 28, 2024 4:28:21 PM
Dear City Council and Staff,
As a Santa Cruz resident, I strongly support The Hook Outlet’s and WAMM Phytotherapies (WAMM) proposed dispensary at 1129 Mission St. This project aligns with our community's values by demonstrating a model of responsible cannabis operations, economic benefits, and prioritizing the well-being of our most vulnerable members.

Sincerely,
Santa Cruz Resident

25.176
From: Cathy Gideon
To: City Council; Ryan Bane; [email protected]
Subject: Support for WAMM Phytotherapies and The Hook Dispensary at 1129 Mission St.

Date: Thursday, March 28, 2024 1:45:17 PM
Dear City Council and Staff,
As a Santa Cruz resident, I strongly support The Hook Outlet’s and WAMM Phytotherapies (WAMM) proposed dispensary at 1129 Mission St. This project aligns with our community's values by demonstrating a model of responsible cannabis operations, economic benefits, and prioritizing the well-being of our most vulnerable members.

Sincerely,
Santa Cruz Resident
Sent from my iPad

25.177
From: Adam Yader
To: City Council; Ryan Bane; [email protected]
Subject: Support for WAMM Phytotherapies and The Hook Dispensary at 1129 Mission St.

Date: Wednesday, March 27, 2024 11:58:18 AM
Dear City Council and Staff,
As a Santa Cruz resident, I strongly support The Hook Outlet’s and WAMM Phytotherapies (WAMM) proposed dispensary at 1129 Mission St. This project aligns with our community's values by demonstrating a model of responsible cannabis operations, economic benefits, and prioritizing the well-being of our most vulnerable members.

Sincerely,
Adam Yader
Santa Cruz Resident

25.178
From: Mandy Mohler
To: City Council; Ryan Bane; [email protected]
Subject: Support for WAMM Phytotherapies and The Hook Dispensary at 1129 Mission St.

Date: Tuesday, March 26, 2024 5:47:28 PM
Dear City Council and Staff,
As a Santa Cruz resident, I strongly support The Hook Outlet’s and WAMM Phytotherapies (WAMM) proposed dispensary at 1129 Mission St. This project aligns with our community's values by demonstrating a model of responsible cannabis operations, economic benefits, and prioritizing the well-being of our most vulnerable members.

Additionally as a Medical Marijuana card holder for decades and a part of the Cannabis Industry Community, we know that the work WAMM has done in our city, our state and our country is unparalleled to the success of legalization in the U.S. Valerie and her team fought when everyone else was standing in the shadows. They brought the valuable need of alternative medicine to the forefront and offered thousands a different choice besides opiates. I hope the city does its due diligence and allows this shop to open.

This is the shop that deserves to be open almost more than any other shop.

Sincerely,
Mandy Mohler
Santa Cruz Resident
"One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain." Mandy Mohler
831.588.2712

25.179
From: Fiona Nathan
To: City Council; Ryan Bane; [email protected]
Subject: Support for WAMM Phytotherapies and The Hook Dispensary at 1129 Mission St.

Date: Monday, March 25, 2024 1:22:52 PM
Dear City Council and Staff,
As a Santa Cruz resident, I strongly support The Hook Outlet’s and WAMM Phytotherapies (WAMM) proposed dispensary at 1129 Mission St. This project aligns with our community's values by demonstrating a model of responsible cannabis operations, economic benefits, and prioritizing the well-being of our most vulnerable members.

Sincerely,
Fiona Nathan
Santa Cruz Resident

25.180
From: Rachel Sliney
To: City Council; Ryan Bane; [email protected]
Subject: Support for WAMM Phytotherapies and The Hook Dispensary at 1129 Mission St.

Date: Sunday, March 24, 2024 1:17:49 PM
Dear City Council and Staff,
As a Santa Cruz resident, I strongly support The Hook Outlet’s and WAMM Phytotherapies (WAMM) proposed dispensary at 1129 Mission St. This project aligns with our community's values by demonstrating a model of responsible cannabis operations, economic benefits, and prioritizing the well-being of our most vulnerable members.

Sincerely,
Rachel Sliney
Zone 4
Santa Cruz Resident

25.181
From: Will Lewczyk
To: City Council; Ryan Bane; [email protected]
Subject: Support for WAMM Phytotherapies and The Hook Dispensary at 1129 Mission St.

Date: Saturday, March 23, 2024 4:55:49 PM
Dear City Council and Staff,
As a Santa Cruz resident, I strongly support The Hook Outlet’s and WAMM Phytotherapies (WAMM) proposed dispensary at 1129 Mission St. This project aligns with our community's values by demonstrating a model of responsible cannabis operations, economic benefits, and prioritizing the well-being of our most vulnerable members.

Sincerely,
Santa Cruz Resident

25.182
From: Ak Sherer
To: City Council; Ryan Bane; [email protected]
Subject: Support for WAMM Phytotherapies and The Hook Dispensary at 1129 Mission St.

Date: Saturday, March 23, 2024 4:36:22 PM
Dear City Council and Staff,
As a Santa Cruz resident, I strongly support The Hook Outlet’s and WAMM Phytotherapies (WAMM) proposed dispensary at 1129 Mission St. This project aligns with our community's values by demonstrating a model of responsible cannabis operations, economic benefits, and prioritizing the well-being of our most vulnerable members.

Sincerely,
Santa Cruz Resident
Sent from my iPhone

25.183
From: Sheila Campbell
To: City Council; Ryan Bane; [email protected]
Subject: Support for WAMM Phytotherapies and The Hook Dispensary at 1129 Mission St.

Date: Monday, March 18, 2024 10:01:27 AM
Dear City Council and Staff,
As a Santa Cruz resident, who had lived 2 blocks from Emily's, for 40 years, I strongly support The Hook Outlet’s and WAMM Phytotherapies (WAMM) proposed dispensary at 1129 Mission St. This project aligns with our community's values by demonstrating a model of responsible cannabis operations, economic benefits, and prioritizing the well-being of our most vulnerable members.

Sincerely,
Dr. Sheila Campbell
Santa Cruz Resident

25.184
From: Thea Serafin
To: City Plan; City Council; Ryan Bane; [email protected] Subject: Support for WAMM Phytotherapies and The Hook Dispensary at 1129 Mission St.

Date: Friday, March 15, 2024 1:35:43 PM
Dear City Council and Staff,
As a Santa Cruz resident, I strongly support The Hook Outlet’s and WAMM Phytotherapies (WAMM) proposed dispensary at 1129 Mission St. This project aligns with our community's values by demonstrating a model of responsible cannabis operations, economic benefits, and prioritizing the well-being of our most vulnerable members.

Sincerely,
Thea Serafin
District 1
Santa Cruz Resident

25.185
From: G Govig
To: City Plan; City Council; Ryan Bane; [email protected] Subject: Support for WAMM Phytotherapies and The Hook Dispensary at 1129 Mission St.

Date: Thursday, March 14, 2024 11:35:13 PM
my Dear City Council and Staff,
As a Santa Cruz resident, I strongly support The Hook Outlet’s and WAMM Phytotherapies (WAMM) proposed dispensary at 1129 Mission St. This project aligns with our community's values by demonstrating a model of responsible cannabis operations, economic benefits, and prioritizing the well-being of our most vulnerable members.

Sincerely,
Santa Cruz Resident
Sent from my iPhone

25.186
From: Michael DeFerrari
To: City Plan; City Council; Ryan Bane; [email protected] Subject: Support for WAMM Phytotherapies and The Hook Dispensary at 1129 Mission St.

Date: Thursday, March 14, 2024 3:16:10 PM
Dear City Council and Staff,
As a Santa Cruz resident, I strongly support The Hook Outlet’s and WAMM Phytotherapies (WAMM) proposed dispensary at 1129 Mission St. This project aligns with our community's values by demonstrating a model of responsible cannabis operations, economic benefits, and prioritizing the well-being of our most vulnerable members.

Sincerely,
Santa Cruz Resident
Sent from my iPhone

25.187
From: Morgan Bishop
To: City Plan; City Council; Ryan Bane; [email protected] Subject: Support for WAMM Phytotherapies and The Hook Dispensary at 1129 Mission St.

Date: Wednesday, March 13, 2024 3:32:29 PM
Dear City Council and Staff,
As a Santa Cruz resident, I strongly support The Hook Outlet’s and WAMM Phytotherapies (WAMM) proposed dispensary at 1129 Mission St. This project aligns with our community's values by demonstrating a model of responsible cannabis operations, economic benefits, and prioritizing the well-being of our most vulnerable members.

Sincerely,
Santa Cruz Resident
Sent from my iPhone

25.188
From: Jordan White
To: City Plan; City Council; Ryan Bane; [email protected] Subject: Support for WAMM Phytotherapies and The Hook Dispensary at 1129 Mission St.

Date: Wednesday, March 13, 2024 3:16:24 PM
Dear City Council and Staff,
As a Santa Cruz resident, I strongly support The Hook Outlet’s and WAMM Phytotherapies (WAMM) proposed dispensary at 1129 Mission St. This project aligns with our community's values by demonstrating a model of responsible cannabis operations, economic benefits, and prioritizing the well-being of our most vulnerable members.

Sincerely,
Santa Cruz Resident
--
Jordan White
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanrwhite

25.189
From: Audrey I
To: City Plan; City Council; Ryan Bane; [email protected] Subject: Support for WAMM Phytotherapies and The Hook Dispensary at 1129 Mission St.

Date: Monday, March 11, 2024 5:59:51 PM
Dear City Council and Staff,
As a Santa Cruz resident, I strongly support The Hook Outlet’s and WAMM Phytotherapies (WAMM) proposed dispensary at 1129 Mission St. This project aligns with our community's values by demonstrating a model of responsible cannabis operations, economic benefits, and prioritizing the well-being of our most vulnerable members.

Sincerely,
Santa Cruz Resident
Sent from my iPhone

25.190
From: Calvin Torres
To: City Council; City Plan; Ryan Bane; [email protected] Subject: Support for WAMM Phytotherapies and The Hook Dispensary at 1129 Mission St.

Date: Monday, March 11, 2024 11:43:35 AM
Dear City Council and Staff,
As a Santa Cruz resident, I strongly support The Hook Outlet’s and WAMM Phytotherapies (WAMM) proposed dispensary at 1129 Mission St. This project aligns with our community's values by demonstrating a model of responsible cannabis operations, economic benefits, and prioritizing the well-being of our most vulnerable members.

Sincerely,
Santa Cruz Resident

25.191
From: Natalie Sanchez
To: City Plan; City Council; Ryan Bane; [email protected] Subject: Support for WAMM Phytotherapies and The Hook Dispensary at 1129 Mission St.

Date: Monday, March 11, 2024 11:37:45 AM
Dear City Council and Staff,
As a Santa Cruz resident, I strongly support The Hook Outlet’s and WAMM Phytotherapies (WAMM) proposed dispensary at 1129 Mission St. This project aligns with our community's values by demonstrating a model of responsible cannabis operations, economic benefits, and prioritizing the well-being of our most vulnerable members.

Sincerely,
Santa Cruz Resident

25.192
From: Deseray Altamirano
To: City Plan; City Council; Ryan Bane; [email protected] Subject: Support for WAMM Phytotherapies and The Hook Dispensary at 1129 Mission St.

Date: Friday, March 08, 2024 2:12:32 PM
Dear City Council and Staff,
As a Santa Cruz resident, I strongly support The Hook Outlet’s and WAMM Phytotherapies (WAMM) proposed dispensary at 1129 Mission St. This project aligns with our community's values by demonstrating a model of responsible cannabis operations, economic benefits, and prioritizing the well-being of our most vulnerable members.

Sincerely,
Santa Cruz Resident
Sent from my iPhone

25.193
From: James Bushneff
To: City Plan; City Council; Ryan Bane; [email protected] Subject: Support for WAMM Phytotherapies and The Hook Dispensary at 1129 Mission St.

Date: Friday, March 08, 2024 11:48:22 AM
Dear City Council and Staff,
As a Santa Cruz resident, I strongly support The Hook Outlet’s and WAMM Phytotherapies (WAMM) proposed dispensary at 1129 Mission St. This project aligns with our community's values by demonstrating a model of responsible cannabis operations, economic benefits, and prioritizing the well-being of our most vulnerable members.

Sincerely,
Santa Cruz Resident Jim Bushneff

25.194
From: Jen May
To: City Council; Ryan Bane
Subject: Support for WAMM Phytotherapies and The Hook Dispensary at 1129 Mission St.

Date: Wednesday, April 10, 2024 9:33:48 AM
Dear City Council and Staff,
As a Santa Cruz resident, I strongly support The Hook Outlet’s and WAMM Phytotherapies (WAMM) proposed dispensary at 1129 Mission St. This project aligns with our community's values by demonstrating a model of responsible cannabis operations, economic benefits, and prioritizing the well-being of our most vulnerable members.

Their dedication to safety, partnership with WAMM, and positive community impact make this project a win for Santa Cruz. I urge the City Council and Staff to approve their application.

Sincerely,
Jennifer May

25.195
3 Julia Wood
From: robert bose <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, April 18, 2024 2:19 PM
To: City Council
Subject: The hook
I support. The. Hook new. Westside. Locaঞon. I hope you will to Thanks Robert .

25.196
1 Julia Wood
From: David Poandl <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 7:42 AM
To: City Council
Subject: WAMM
Please vote in favor of WAMM'
David S Poandl

25.197
2 Julia Wood
From: William Wright <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 7:59 AM
To: City Council
Subject: Dispensary
I fully support the placing of a new cannabis dispensary at the site of the former bakery on Mission Street. The security at every dispensary I have to shopped is more than enough to prohibit underage patrons.

There's no path to peace. Peace is the path.

25.198
3 Julia Wood
From: ANGELA MARIE <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 8:39 AM
To: City Council
Subject: Keep approval of WAMM facility on Mission Street Dear City Council Members,
Please keep the approval for the WAMM facility on Mission Street at the Emily’s Bakery spot.

WAMM has benefited our community for 30 years. Vocal public support has come from health professionals such as Arnie Leff, MD, the county and the city’s health officer; law enforcement leaders such as former Police Chief Rudy Escalante; and beloved civic leaders including state Sen.

John Laird, and the late former Mayor and Supervisor Mardi Wormhoudt.

Research indicates that the location of a dispensary consistent with the Santa City ordinance is appropriate. Our city created conservative rules and mapped approved sites, and the proposed dispensary is in an approved location.

Thank you for considering my opinion as a city voter.

Angela Marie
Western Drive
Santa Cruz

25.199
4 Julia Wood
From: Leah Belair <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 9:04 AM
To: City Council
Subject: WAMM
To the City Council:

As a long time resident of Santa Cruz (50 years) I am writing in support of WAMM being able to use the former site of Emily’s Bakery on Mission St as a Marijuana Dispensary.

WAMM has served sick people in this City and County for many years, often at a minimal or no cost to those who could not afford typical dispensary prices. WAMM has shown its dedication to serving those in need of medical marijuana over the years. Their help was invaluable to our family during my husband’s cancer treatment almost 10 years ago.

City Council should be enforcing the rules governing dispensaries, not arbitrarily applying new parameters because a few concerned people object to their location. This location falls within all the current rules and guidelines allowing a dispensary to operate. All the studies show dispensaries are not serving underage schoolchildren. Please let’s be realistic here: kids in this town do not need a dispensary to get “pot” , it is readily available a cheaper on the black market. My own son had an issue as a teenager with unhealthy use of marijuana, and it was difficult for us to deal with, and at that time dispensaries did not exist. He had no problem accessing the drug and it derailed his adolescence, but we still support the establishment of legal dispensaries.

Valerie Corral has shown her dedication to this community and invested in this project after being told it met all the established rules, codes etc. As a community we are obligated to allow this project to move forward.

Many of us are watching this vote, please do the right thing.

Sincerely,
Leah Belair

25.200
5 Julia Wood
From: [email protected]
Sent: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 12:00 PM
To: City Council
Subject: WAMM
WAMM has long made positive contributions to the health and quality of life of Santa Cruz citizens.

They have helped, and continue to help, people with AIDS, cancer, and so many many other health challenges.

They have worked with community members to grow and distribute clean marijuana at minimum, or no, cost.

They are in compliance with local regulations, and I urge you to approve their new home at Laurel and Mission.

They are a well managed COMMUNITY ASSET.

Respectfully,
LaVerne Coleman

25.201
6 Julia Wood
From: Lois Roth <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 12:32 PM
To: City Council
Cc: [email protected]; Matt
Subject: WAMM cannabis dispensary SUPPORT
Hello,
My name is Lois Roth and I've lived in Santa Cruz County since 1992.

I first met Valerie and the WAMM organization after a major depression disorder diagnosis. Unable to use anti-depressants, constantly feeling disoriented, I discovered a successful medical marijuana solution through WAMM.

Over the ensuing years, cannabis has become Recreational and Valerie/WAMM has continued to serve the community unselfishly.

I have shopped at 'The Hook' and 'Treehouse' locations and security has been tight, efficient. Taken seriously, Every time, Every location, Period! I would expect the same at the new location. Perhaps tighter since this fuss about proximity to schools.

Concerning the Mission Street location,(formally Emily's bakery), I endorse the location. I ENCOURAGE the Santa Cruz council to approve the dispensary opening without delay.

Regards,
Lois Roth
Get Outlook for Android

25.202
7 Julia Wood
From: Eugene Tsuji <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 7:34 PM
To: City Council
Subject: Wamm
Hello
When my late wife Robin was in horrible pain from advanced cancer, opioids were barely working and the side effects made life miserable. Her doctor suggested medical cannabis and recommended WAMM.

Valerie made us feel so at ease, answering every question we had. Her humanity was evident from the start. Unlike the "gold rush" of many current dispensaries Valerie was driving a rolling heap of junk, providing medical cannabis at need. She is not in it for the money. If you could pay full freight, you knew that you were subsidizing someone who couldnt. Valerie represents the true spirit of Santa Cruz. She is a healer not a money counter.

Please allow Valerie and Wamm to continue their good works. If they make a few bucks in the process great they deserve it. Whether a dispensary is a block or a mile away, entry into a dispensary is no easy task. Our children are safe. Please do the right thing and let her work Eugene Tsuji
831 840 3711

25.203
8 Julia Wood
From: Micah Breeden <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, May 1, 2024 8:15 AM
To: City Council
Subject: WAMM Dispensary Support Letter
Hello,
I am a property owning (since 2005) voting resident (since 1985) of Santa Cruz and want to state my strong support for the WAMM dispensary on Mission Street in the old Kelly's Bakery building.

This project adheres to all State laws regarding dispensaries and will provide invaluable care for those in need.

The recent Op-Ed in the Santa Cruz Sentinel by Ben Rice and the support issued by John Laird are strong and powerful statements that I support.

Please do the right thing and issue your support on this issue.

Sincerely,
Micah Breeden
122 Oxford Way
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
831.332.8466

25.204
9 Julia Wood
From: Carolyn Rudolph <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, May 1, 2024 10:54 AM
To: City Council
Subject: WAMM Mission St
Dear Santa Cruz City Council,
I live close to the neighborhood where the proposed WAMM dispensary is proposed to open. I never see groups of students at lunch time, or any time, walking in that area. This is a medical dispensary, to aid those who are ill and poor, to bring ease to their suffering. The building has already been authorized and money spent for the built out. This WAMM site could offer an opportunity to teach compassion to teenagers about sick and poor patients, in need of help. To me, it wrong, and destructive, to overturn the approval, at this late date. Santa Cruz historically has been supportive of WAMM, offering therapeutic cannabis to help sick and poor patients.

I urge the City Council to vote in favor of WAMM.

Thank you,
Carolyn Rudolph

25.205
10 Julia Wood
From: Paul Cheatham <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, May 1, 2024 12:13 PM
To: City Council
Subject: Please support WAMM at MIssion and Laurel Street Dear City Council,
Please allow WAMM and their partners to establish a location at the intersection of Mission Street and Laurel Street. This new WAMM location will allow the valuable community health work WAMM has been doing for decades to continue in a way that is accessible for people who need WAMM's services. Wamm is one of the most authentic health providers, WAMM truly serves people and improves people's lives, helping WAMM succeed improves the city of Santa Cruz.

Thank you!
--
Paul

25.206
11 Julia Wood
From: Paul Cheatham <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, May 1, 2024 12:16 PM
To: City Council
Subject: Support for Valerie Corral and WAMM at Mission and Laurel Dear City Council,
Please support Valerie Corral and her associates with their project at Mission Street and Laurel Street.

Valerie Corral is a valuable leader of the Santa Cruz community. For decades she has improved the lives of countless people in Santa Cruz and beyond with her kindness and knowledge of health and healing! I live just up the street from the location of her proposed development, I walk by it everyday. I believe Valerie's plans would greatly improve the intersection of Mission and Laurel Street and the greater community. Please help Valerie's vision come true. Thank you. --
Paul Cheatham
(Founder No Enemy)
www.noenemy.org
(831) 345-6935

25.207
12 Julia Wood
From: D Cosgrove <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, May 1, 2024 6:18 PM
To: City Council
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: Uphold Your Own Rules, Approve Hook Outlet/WAMM To the Santa Cruz City Council:

As a Santa Cruz Resident, I vehemently support The Hook Outlet’s and WAMM Phytotherapies’ proposed dispensary at 1129 Mission St. This project embodies responsible cannabis business pracঞces, bolsters our economy, and upli[s our most vulnerable ciঞzens –– all prioriঞes explicitly outlined in the city’s general plan.

The Hook Outlet’s partnership with WAMM, our naঞon’s oldest and most revered medical cannabis collecঞve, guarantees compassionate care remains accessible. For over 30 years, WAMM has provided free medicine to our community’s most criঞcally ill. Denying a dispensary in a locaঞon that meets all zoning requirements would be a direct aack on their ability to serve those most in need.

The Hook Outlet consistently exceeds regulatory standards. Their robust security plan, discreet storefront, voluntary age restricঞon policy, and youth prevenঞon outreach via www.safecannabis.net demonstrate that safeguarding our community, especially its youth, is a core value.

Furthermore, this business is a proven asset to Santa Cruz. They generate jobs, bolster our tax base, and acঞvely support local non-profits. The Planning Commission’s recommendaঞon for approval underscores the project’s merit and compliance.

Denying this applicant, despite their community support and adherence to every guideline, would be a profoundly damaging breach of trust. It signals to businesses that invesঞng in Santa Cruz is a fool’s errand, as regulaঞons are subject to arbitrary change.

I demand that the City Council uphold its commitment to transparency and predictability by approving The Hook Outlet and WAMM’s applicaঞon. Failure to do so sets a chilling precedent with far-reaching consequences.

Sincerely,
A Concerned Santa Cruz Resident
Sent from iPhone

25.208
13 Julia Wood
From: Jay Wilson <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, May 1, 2024 9:33 PM
To: City Council
Subject: WAMM Appeal Information
Around 2016, when I was running the front desk for WAMM, a young student from San Francisco asked me for assistance with receiving medical marijuana for his cancer, a type lymphoma. He was 22.

He told me that UCSF had referred him to WAMM for marijuana to help with his condition, When he told me he had 2 and ½ months to live, I realized that WAMM was his last chance for solice.

I served 100s of people like him, people with cancer, ms, parkinsons, trauma, epilepsy, you name it.

WAMM served those who needed their care more than anyone else. I have personally seen it my self.

I have also been through cancer. It was not easy. It was extremely painful, in many, many ways. Horrifying in fact, going though an illness like that is something I do not wish on anyone to have to do.

Granting WAMM the right to operate is a common sense given, considering the value that WAMM has provided though compassionate care to those who cannot afford to buy their medicines elsewhere.

Val has never made much doing this. In fact, if Val wanted to have made money doing this, she would be quite wealthy from it. The potential was there, but she did it, not for the money, but for the needy.

I can tell you from experience, Val has the best interests at heart for the Santa Cruz Community.

WAMM should be allowed to proceed with their plan. The Planning department approved it. The Public Planning appeal meeting was finalized. WAMM has every right to continue under the law.

25.209
15 Julia Wood
From: Shalom Dreampeace Compost <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, May 1, 2024 10:20 PM
To: City Council
Subject: WAMM has done a lot of good work
Let them have their permit
Shalom

25.210
16 Julia Wood
From: Ann Bodine <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, May 1, 2024 11:29 PM
To: City Council
Subject: new marijuana dispensary on Mission Sr.

I am strongly in favor of legal, visible cannabis dispensaries. I have purchased from such dispensaries on several occasions and certainly would not have wanted to purchase anywhere else. And having endured years in which first a son and later a grandson had serious drug problems, I can assure you that neither EVER obtained their drugs from a dispensary! Please vote in favor of the new dispensary on Mission St. and keep obtaining cannabis above-board and safe, rather than illegal street purchasing of possibly dangerously tainted/contaminated cannabis. --Ann Bodine
831-600-7362 (landline, no text)

25.211
17 Julia Wood
From: Patricia Washko <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, May 2, 2024 11:14 AM
To: City Council
Subject: WAMM Mission St location
Dear Council
I would like to state my vote for approval of the previous Emily’s Bakery locaঞon on Mission and Walnut for WAMM to open a new cannabis dispensary.

As a dispensary customer I can guarantee that a license is required every ঞme I enter a site, whether or not I have been there before or not and also whether I look my age (79)!! So I believe the establishment will not allow underage customers to enter.

Thank you
Patricia Washko
100 N Rodeo Gulch Rd, Sp 92
Soquel CA 95073
831 479-9421
831 419-5669
Sent from my iPhone

25.212
18 Julia Wood
From: Wild Man Ninja <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, May 2, 2024 11:44 AM
To: City Council
Subject: WAMM new location approval
Dear City of Santa Cruz,
My name is James Sclar, (40) and I am a USMC veteran as well as a Santa Cruz local all my life. I work at the Veterans Memorial building downtown, and I am a member of the Woman’s Alliance for Medical Marijuana ( WAMM )
It has come to my attention that WAMM is in need of a new location at the old Emily’s Bakery. However there has been pushback from the school district. I have a son that goes to Monarch. I understand the concerns of parents, and teachers who don’t want there children close to cannabis dispensary.

However, I can assure you as a parent that uses cannabis, and has a child that goes to school here in Santa Cruz, that it is not a problem. The war on drugs was a failure, and we do not need to continue the misinformation, and demonization of what we now know to be a very good plant with many many uses.

We do not need to teach our children the same behavior nor do I wish to continue allowing this sacred medicine to be taken away or blockaded in my own city. Our generation is here to set things straight, fix things, as well as heal the wounds inflicted by our previous mistakes.

Responsible parenting, and dispensaries that have age restrictions all work very well to make sure that our children don’t have premature access to the medicine. I myself educate my son about cannabis and he knows it’s not a taboo subject in our town, we are very proud that Santa Cruz Cannabis is well known in the cannabis community. It is currently being rescheduled by the DEA from schedule 1 to schedule 3.

We are proud to be one of the first few city’s in our entire country to lead the way in the decriminalization of ALL entheogens.

We are very grateful to have such wonderful medicine available for our community and veterans like myself who rely on cannabis for relief from PTSD. Cannabis is a source of spiritual freedom, and is now widely known throughout our culture of its positive and healing effects it has on individuals and communities. It is no longer mistaken as a harmful drug.

However I am not writing this email to teach the positive effects of cannabis, I am writing to inform you that I agree with WAMM and would absolutely love, and appreciate it if the city would allow them to open at the new location. It would be a perfect spot for us to have safe access to our beloved medicine. ꔤꔥꔦꔧ꽷꽸꽹꾏꽻꽼꾑꾐꽾꽿꾀꾁꾂꾃꾄꾅꾆꾇꾈꾒 It would reflect great honor on our community leaders, as well as be outstanding leadership to set an example for our children of what it is to change things for the better. No longer will cannabis users be seen as law breakers, and losers, but as healers and heroes! I am writing this email to inform everyone that I would very much appreciate giving the building to WAMM so that they continue their operations which include helping veterans like myself have access to cannabis medicine. By supporting WAMM and allowing them to open their dispensary at the new location would be directly supporting local Santa Cruz Veterans such as myself and many many others. It would also be a huge source for pride to know that Santa Cruz cares about its citizens freedoms and health.

Improving our city’s Mental Health/ homelessness are things that the cannabis community can help

25.213
19 make a difference to bring positive change. The cannabis community of Santa Cruz has been doing just that for many many years now. We have healthier civilians, the mental health issues that we share can also be healed together with our ability to grow cannabis, and give that cannabis to our community through the safety of dispensaries such as The Hook Outlet and The Tree House collective, the Santa Cruz Veterans Alliance, The KindPeoples Collective, 3BrosGrow, and many others, as well as the people themselves who have personal farms. There is a lot of love and positivity that has been imbedded in our community that has brought us together to heal, to learn, to laugh, to love. We have made great progress, and allowing that progress to continue growing will only continue to keep Santa Cruz healthy and safe.

Safe from more mental illness, leading to more homeless, and lost children… we can’t let that happen.

This next generation needs to grow up with cannabis seen for what it actually is, a super powerful medicine/tool that brings people so so so much.

Please put it in the records that, I James Sclar, fully support WAMM and all the local cannabis organizations we are blessed and proud to have here in our magical city if Santa Cruz.

I support and agree with allowing the Hook Outlet and WAMM open at their new location please and thank you.

I support Valerie Leveroni Corral.

I support WAMM
I support The Hook Outlet
@wamm_phytotherapies
@thehookoutlet
Sincerely,
James Sclar
USMC veteran
Santa Cruz local
Cannabis advocate
WAMM member
Veterans Village

25.214
20 Julia Wood
From: SACHA DEFOY <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, May 3, 2024 7:44 AM
To: City Council
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: Uphold Your Own Rules, Approve Hook Outlet/WAMM To the Santa Cruz City Council:

WAMM has provided me with free medicine to help with my nerve pain and depression/anxiety. I am a quadriplegic female without the help of wamm I would not have been able to volunteer or be successful at geমng my BA in literature with a minor educaঞon. WAMM also provides a sense of community that I was lacking due to my parents passing. Valerie is one of the most kind people. I know I could always call her up if I need something. If she was able to do something for me she would. When I had to go to a nursing home for a few months, she and her roommate watched my cat as long as they could. Valerie doesn’t make money off of the products that she sells because she gives it right back to her community. If you vote against wamm and the hook, my pain level will be increased as well. Many other of your consঞtuents. It will definitely send the message that the city council does not care about the sick , disabled or dying community at these businesses support.

Please give us the opঞon to explore cannabis as a way of relieving Physical and emoঞonal pain instead of opiates or isolaঞon. Remember that you are supposed to be serving the community as our representaঞve.

Sincerely,
Sacha Defoy
831-236-3839

25.215
21 Sent from my iPhone

25.216
22 Julia Wood
From: Heather Cooper <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, May 3, 2024 7:56 AM
To: City Council
Subject: Cannabis Dispensary
To All Council Members,
I am writing to express my concern with the proposed cannabis dispensary moving in on Mission St.

As someone who attended Santa Cruz High School and as a parent whose children will attend in the future, I strongly feel it is just too close to the schools. Anyone who knows the area can see school children directly in front of the location daily and the parking lot is sometimes used as a hangout spot for students after school. It was like that 20 years ago when I was a student and it is still happening.

I am a big supporter of WAMM and would love to see them have a location to offer their services, but there are so many other locations available further from the schools. It doesn't make sense to choose a location which has caused so much controversy and negative input from the community.

In my opinion the solution seems simple; find a different location which doesn't upset the public and allow the business to operate and give WAMM patients the access they need. WAMM patients won't benefit from the location on Mission St, they have always had more discreet locations, however the Dispensary owners will benefit hugely and to me this isn't about the dispensary owners, it's about allowing WAMM to operate somewhere...just not there.

Thanks for your consideration,
Heather Burman
831-227-4478

25.217
23 Julia Wood
From: Christopher Habermann <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, May 3, 2024 9:59 AM
To: City Council
Subject: Emilys WAMM dispercery
Dear City Council,
My wife and I are long time resisdents of Santa Cruz and support the WAMM desipencery at the old Emilys building.

Please vote in favor of it.

Thanks,
Christopher Habermann

25.218
24 Julia Wood
From: Pam <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, May 3, 2024 12:33 PM
To: City Council
Subject: May 14 and WAMM
City Council,
I do NOT think this is an appropriate locaঞon for (any) dispensary and request you REVERSE the planning department's decision.

If their clientele are people with compromised systems as noted, I would suggest WAMM "pivot" to a delivery service.

AS for the site, what happened to the potenঞal bakery for Emily's? That business did well and all could benefit.

It's the owners desire to reঞre that closed shop.
-Pam North

25.219
25 Julia Wood
From: Magdalena Mcann <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, May 3, 2024 8:45 PM
To: City Council
Subject: WAMM Dispensary.

I am writing in support of WAMM being able to have a dispensary in Santa Cruz, following their application for the former premises of Emily's bakery on Mission Street.

I had not paid a lot of attention to this issue previously, I don't use Marijuana, but absolutely support WAMM and the work they do.

Somewhere between hospice, healthcare, and social work, I trust them absolutely to provide only to the population they are legally allowed to supply. They have zero interest in selling to teenagers, they have far more important work to do.

Please support them in their application.

Thankyou, Magda Mccann.

25.220
26 Julia Wood
From: Randa Solick <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, May 3, 2024 9:11 PM
To: City Council
Subject: WAMM clinic
Hello councilmembers, I want to let you know of my support for the proposed WAMM marijuana dispensary at the old "Emily's Bakery", and ask ou to vote in favor of it. I know lots of high schoolers who walk in that area, but none of them would be able to get into the dispensary. WAMM has been doing an extraordinarily needed job for years - please help it continue.

Thank you, Randa Solick

25.221
27 Julia Wood
From: Jennifer Forrest <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, May 4, 2024 5:18 PM
To: City Council
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: Uphold Your Own Rules, Approve Hook Outlet/WAMM To the Santa Cruz City Council:

As a Santa Cruz Resident, I vehemently support The Hook Outlet’s and WAMM Phytotherapies’ proposed dispensary at 1129 Mission St. This project embodies responsible cannabis business practices, bolsters our economy, and uplifts our most vulnerable citizens –– all priorities explicitly outlined in the city’s general plan.

The Hook Outlet’s partnership with WAMM, our nation’s oldest and most revered medical cannabis collective, guarantees compassionate care remains accessible. For over 30 years, WAMM has provided free medicine to our community’s most critically ill. Denying a dispensary in a location that meets all zoning requirements would be a direct attack on their ability to serve those most in need.

The Hook Outlet consistently exceeds regulatory standards. Their robust security plan, discreet storefront, voluntary age restriction policy, and youth prevention outreach via www.safecannabis.net demonstrate that safeguarding our community, especially its youth, is a core value.

Furthermore, this business is a proven asset to Santa Cruz. They generate jobs, bolster our tax base, and actively support local non-profits. The Planning Commission’s recommendation for approval underscores the project’s merit and compliance.

Denying this applicant, despite their community support and adherence to every guideline, would be a profoundly damaging breach of trust. It signals to businesses that investing in Santa Cruz is a fool’s errand, as regulations are subject to arbitrary change.

I demand that the City Council uphold its commitment to transparency and predictability by approving The Hook Outlet and WAMM’s application. Failure to do so sets a chilling precedent with far-reaching consequences.

Sincerely,
Jennifer Forrest
714 Gerard Court
Santa Cruz CA 95062
(831) 345-9144
A Concerned Santa Cruz Resident

25.222
28 Julia Wood
From: [email protected]
Sent: Sunday, May 5, 2024 12:19 PM
To: City Council
Subject: WAMM
If WAMM filed for and received permission from the City Planning Dept and Planning Commission to open a dispensary, I think you would be giving yourself a black eye if you concede to a fearmongering few and withdraw approval. WAMM's owner put out the money and effort to get the approvals. All codes and requirements are being met. To me, this would look like an illegal takings of a law-abiding citizen's money.

WAMM also represents what's best in our community: a local business, a pioneering business that fought big battles to bring what it believed was needed by our community to our community, a business with a reason for existing other than just the profit motive. Heaven forbid any of you should need their services, only to find they aren't there anymore.

Also, I think the fears are substantiated by - by NOTHING. Really? Someone thinks kids are going to access a legitimate cannabis dispensary by walking by it? Have you ever tried entering one? Please do, if you haven't yet. Do they think someone will purchase pot therein and resell it? Business 101: buy cheap, sell higher. Regulated pot is not cheaper than "street" pot. It isn't easier to access and it isn't cheaper.

I find it hard to believe that the person who started this fearmongering actually works with kids. Maybe they are too far removed from the little soon-to-be-adults. Kids, if they want drugs, will network and get it from a "street" dealer. It will be cheaper, easier. (Not safer, though. Unfortunately.) The kids are smarter than any adults who think the kids will try to get some pot the hard way.

Finally, is it too obvious to say? If you want the community to work with the City in good faith, the City needs to treat the community the same way. Please tell the people that everyone will be treated the same under the law. The law-abiding citizen here is the owner of WAMM. The City Council should absolutely not undermine the approvals of City Planning. Nor should it cater to fearmongering, ever, even if the fearmongers appear to be upright citizens in every other aspect.

Thank you.

PLEASE DO NOT SHARE ANY OF MY PERSONAL INFORMATION UNLESS LEGALLY REQUIRED TO DO SO.

Elizabeth Knights
711 Laurel Glen Rd
Soquel CA 95073

25.223
29 Julia Wood
From: Wise Ways <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, May 6, 2024 11:46 AM
To: City Council
Subject: Dispensary for WAMM
I live quite close (0.4 miles) to the proposed WAMM dispensary site and I am in favor of this project. There are dispensaries all over the city and many on the Westside. Why would you single out this one? WAMM is a legiঞmate and respected non-profit that provides affordable medical cannabis to those in need. Please allow them to conঞnue their mission on the proposed Mission St. locaঞon.

Eva Wax
1131 King St., SC 95060
[email protected]

25.224
30 Julia Wood
From: Michelle Massie <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, May 7, 2024 1:44 PM
To: City Council
Subject: Community Feedback

Dear City Council Members,
I am writing in support of the proposed dispensary planned for the corner of Mission and Laurel. It is not fair or just to deny a permit for this business when there is no consistent evidence either locally or nationally that its location is somehow harmful to the community. There are already laws in place to protect young people from purchasing cannabis. Let’s not slide down the slippery slope of trying to create a solution to a problem that does not exist.

Sincerely,
Michelle Massie, MD
Dana Massie
102 Bradley Dr.

Santa Cruz, 95060

25.225
31 Julia Wood
From: Rose Dooling <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, May 8, 2024 8:04 AM
To: City Council
Subject: WAMM dispensary
I am writing to show my support of the proposed WAMM dispensary at the former Emily's bakery location.

WAMM has been a valued member of our community for several decades and paved the way for medical marijuana access. This project met all the guidelines and was approved for the current location- please don't let fear mongering hinder all their hard work.

Thank you for your time,
Rose Dooling, lifetime Santa Cruz local

25.226
32 Julia Wood
From: [email protected]
Sent: Wednesday, May 8, 2024 11:41 AM
To: Rosemary Balsley
Subject: Message from KM_C654e
Attachments: WAMM.pdf

25.227

25.228
1 Julia Wood
From: Lori Quick <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, May 8, 2024 2:00 PM
To: City Council
Subject: Community Feedback
I am writing to ask you to approve the proposed dispensary at the former site of Emily's Bakery. Objections on the ground that it is too close to schools are ridiculous. It's probably more dangerous to have a 7-11 that sells alcohol near schools. Marijuana is now legal and used by countless people for medicinal as well as recreational purposes. A dispensary which sells marijuana responsibly, requiring identification and proof of age poses no danger to minors. You can be certain that minors who smoke or otherwise ingest marijuana do not buy it at dispensaries, but from street level dealers. This should be approved.

Sincerely,
Lori A. Quick
Santa Cruz, CA

25.229
2 Julia Wood
From: Zack Wilson <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, May 8, 2024 2:51 PM
To: City Council
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: Uphold Your Own Rules, Approve Hook Outlet/WAMM To the Santa Cruz City Council:

Sincerely,
A Concerned Santa Cruz Resident
Sent from my iPhone

25.230
3 Julia Wood
From: [email protected]
Sent: Wednesday, May 8, 2024 3:14 PM
To: City Council
Subject: WAMM on Mission street
• Santa Cruz City Council:

I've followed WAMM since the begining and Valerie is a close personal friend for many years, I have volunteered at their almar location and have seen with my eyes how effective THC/CBD is in stopping seizures in children. I'm also a 100% disabled Vietnam combat veteran. I was capture and tortured. I use medical cannabis to treat my PTSD and arthritis. Santa Cruz is world famous for allowing medical cannabis be given to sick ill cancer patients on the steps of city hall. Over the years WAMM has provided at no charge medical cannabis to thousands of cancer patients. Valerie Corral is a hero. Our own mother Theresa. Santa Cruz should be proud and continue to honor and support her!
Gary Poland
13880 Hwy 9
Boulder Creek ca 95006
(510)860-0583

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4 Julia Wood
From: [email protected]
Sent: Wednesday, May 8, 2024 3:42 PM
To: City Council
Subject: Mission street pot store
Santa Cruz is worlds famous for allowing medical cannabis to given out on the steps of city hall to sick ill cancer patients.......

Over the years WAMM has given at no charge medical cannabis to the sick, ill, dying.

Next Tuesday (May 14th) when you decided to break the boundary rules or keep them allowing WAMM on Mission street I want you to take a moment to reflect on the thousands of cancer patients angels who's spirits will be in the room with you.

Gary Poland
13880 Hwy 9
Boulder Creek ca 95006
(510)860-0583

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5 Julia Wood
From: david volkland <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, May 8, 2024 4:18 PM
To: City Council
Subject: The Hook Santa Cruz
Greetings, City Council of Santa Cruz,
I am a staunch supporter of The Hook Santa Cruz obtaining an entitlement for an administrative use permit. I am deeply concerned about the city’s process, particularly the potential obstruction of a local business that has diligently met all local requirements. It is disheartening to witness a government that appears to be shifting the goalpost simply because it disagrees with the outcome of the game.

The Hook has been paying rent on the proposed location, 1129 Mission Street, since July 2023.

This property is appropriately zoned correctly and was initially approved by the city of Santa Cruz for Cannabis Retail. The applicant completed the AUP application's local license transfer and was deemed compliant. The applicant has paid all City of Santa Cruz fees and has complied with all requests.

This project has been an arduous, time-consuming, and financially demanding endeavor. After nearly a year of unwavering compliance, the applicant is now confronted with emergency legislation, further stalling the project’s progress and imposing an overwhelming financial burden. If the city council does choose to pass the moratorium, I strongly urge a provision that protects the applicant's interest and ensures that any changes do not disrupt the applicant’s application or entitlement process.

Respectfully
David Volkland
A resident of Santa Cruz since 2005

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6 Julia Wood
From: Lesley Nickus <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, May 8, 2024 4:20 PM
To: City Council
Subject: RE: May 14 meeting
Hello,
I'm writing to submit a public comment for the May 14 meeting regarding the opening of WAMM Phytotherapies and the Hook project at 1129 Mission St, Santa Cruz, CA 95060.

My name is Lesley Nickus and I'm the executive producer of "Kind Conversations About Cannabis" a project that aims to shine a light on the compassion programs operating in California and the veterans, terminally ill, and others who benefit from the relief and community connection they offer.

Our crew spent time with Valerie and members of WAMM as they began meeting for the first time since the pandemic and have been developing a relationship with the organization for the better part of a year.

It seems there may be some confusion about the mission and purpose of these programs and I hope to provide what clarity I can in support of their Mission Street effort.

I created this short video to help shine a light on the value they bring to the community and the care with which they approach everything they do. I'd like it entered into the public record, please.

WAMM_EDIT_2MIN_V3.mp4
The linked image cannot
be displayed. The file may
have been mov ed,
renamed, or deleted.

Verify that the link points
to the correct file and
location.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Lesley Nickus
Scary Plants Media
scaryplants.com

25.234
7 Julia Wood
From: Lara Savino <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, May 8, 2024 4:39 PM
To: City Council
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: Uphold Your Own Rules, Approve Hook Outlet/WAMM To the Santa Cruz City Council:

Furthermore, this business is a proven asset to Santa Cruz. They generate jobs, bolster our tax base, and acঞvely support local nonprofits. The Planning Commission’s recommendaঞon for approval underscores the project’s merit and compliance.

Sincerely,
A Concerned Santa Cruz Resident

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8 Julia Wood
From: Terri Primavera <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, May 8, 2024 4:57 PM
To: City Council
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: Uphold Your Own Rules, Approve Hook Outlet/WAMM To the Santa Cruz City Council:

Sincerely,
A Concerned Santa Cruz Resident
Sent from my iPhone

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9 Julia Wood
From: Bonnie Bush
Sent: Wednesday, May 8, 2024 6:37 PM
To: City Council
Subject: Fwd: Letter of Support for WAMM, for inclusion with the agenda packet and for consideration at the May 14 City Council Meeting
Attachments: Allen Hopper WAMM Support Letter to City Council 05-08-24.pdf Bonnie Bush
City Clerk
City of Santa Cruz
809 Center St., Room 8, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Phone: 831-420-5035
Email:[email protected] Web: www.cityofsantacruz.com Begin forwarded message:

From: "M. Allen Hopper" <[email protected]>
Date: May 8, 2024 at 4:23:44 PM PDT
To: Fred Keeley <[email protected]>, Bonnie Bush <[email protected]> Subject: Letter of Support for WAMM, for inclusion with the agenda packet and for consideration at the May 14 City Council Meeting
Dear Mayor Keeley and Councilmembers,
Valerie Corral, Ben Rice and Dana McRae suggested that I reach out to you in support of the proposed cannabis dispensary at the site of the former Emily’s Bakery on Mission and Laurel Streets. At their invitation, I intend to offer public comments at the Council’s upcoming public meeting on May 14 and would request that I be allowed additional time for my comments, for a total of 5 minutes, if that is possible.

I also respectfully request that the attached letter be entered into the public record as additional written testimony/comments and distributed to the Councilmembers in advance of the May 14 meeting.

Thank you.

Allen Hopper
Attorney at Law

25.237
1 Allen Hopper, Attorney at Law
3975 Manzanita Drive
San Jose, CA 95117
May 8, 2024
Santa Cruz City Council
809 Center St, Room 10
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Dear Mayor Keeley and Councilmembers,
I write in support of the cannabis dispensary at the site of the former Emily’s Bakery on Mission and Laurel Streets, proposed in partnership with Valerie Corral and the Wo/Men’s Alliance for Medical Marijuana (WAMM). I intend to offer public comments at the Council’s upcoming public meeting on May 14 and respectfully request that this letter be entered into the public record as additional written testimony/comments and distributed to the Councilmembers.

Thank you for the opportunity to set forth in more detail than will be possible in my public comments at the Council Meeting my background and history with WAMM and as a cannabis law and regulatory expert, followed by specific reasons why the Council should uphold the ruling of the Planning Commission and grant the requested permit.

My Background, Expertise and History with WAMM
Though I now live in San Jose for family reasons, I have lived on and off in Santa Cruz since 2004 and still consider myself a Santa Cruzan at heart. I am an attorney and first moved to Santa Cruz to join the staff of the American Civil Liberties Union as the Litigation Director for the National ACLU’s Drug Law Reform Project, which for a time was headquartered in Santa Cruz.

It was through my work for the ACLU that I first met Valarie Corral and became aware of WAMM. Along with nationally renowned trial lawyer and law professor Gerald Uelmen, the law firm of Bingham McCutchin, local attorney Ben Rice and others, the ACLU assisted with litigation in federal court arising from the infamous 2002 D.E.A. raid of the WAMM garden in which federal agents in combat gear literally held wheelchair-bound patients at gunpoint. In addition to representing WAMM and its patient members in that litigation, I joined Ben Rice and then-City Attorney John Barisone as co-counsel representing the City of Santa Cruz after the City and Santa Cruz County joined the lawsuit as co-plaintiffs.

The City’s strong support of WAMM before and after that litigation is well-documented.

Perhaps fittingly, the Mayor at that time was Emily Reilly, owner of the former bakery at the site of the proposed dispensary now under consideration by the Council. Mayor Reilly and other City officials allowed WAMM to distribute cannabis to patient members from the steps of City Hall shortly after the D.E.A. raid, with many other then-current and past local government officials also in attendance, looking on approvingly. The City’s and County’s support of WAMM in that litigation was crucial and, in fact, an important legal argument upon which we prevailed in

25.238
2 federal court was based on the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which protects state and local governments from improper federal government interference and control. The WAMM litigation against the D.E.A. not only carved out unique protections for WAMM allowing its continued operation despite federal illegality, but moreover was an important step in the evolution of the legal framework that today shapes the national cannabis regulatory landscape. I share this history now because it illustrates the important role WAMM has played not only here in Santa Cruz but nationally.

In the time since that federal litigation, I have further developed expertise in constitutional and local cannabis regulatory matters. I testified as a constitutional law expert at then-State Assembly Member Tom Ammiano’s groundbreaking Public Safety Committee hearings on cannabis legalization in 2009. I co-authored an article published in 2015 in the UCLA Law Review with well-known constitutional scholar and Dean of Berkeley Law School, Erwin Chemerinsky on the topic of federalism and state legalization of cannabis despite continued federal illegality. I was deeply involved in convening the ACLU’s 2015 statewide Blue Ribbon Commission chaired by then-Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom and was part of the six-attorney drafting team for Proposition 64, the 2016 California ballot initiative legalizing adult use cannabis. I have assisted local governments in cannabis regulatory matters, including helping the City of Santa Rosa craft its local cannabis ordinances and representing Pueblo, Colorado in federal litigation defending its local cannabis regulations. I also met with former County Counsel Dana McRea to provide input and legal consultation while the County was drafting early iterations of the County’s cannabis ordinances. The County’s support for WAMM led directly to provisions I drafted as part of Prop. 64 to create a pilot project for a non-profit state licensing pathway specifically designed with WAMM in mind.

The Discretion Afforded by Section 24.12.1300.4.B is Patterned After Early Versions of the County’s Cannabis Ordinance Intended to Protect WAMM.

The early versions of the County cannabis ordinances included provisions to “grandfather” in WAMM to allow it to continue to operate even if unable to meet all of the criteria established under the new ordinance. This was in recognition of the important service WAMM had long been providing to some of Santa Cruz’s most vulnerable—sick and dying patients using cannabis to ease their suffering.

In light of this history, it is sadly ironic that those opposing WAMM’s new dispensary are relying upon a provision of City of Santa Cruz Ordinance 2000-12, Section 24.12.1300.4.B, that appears to be patterned after language in the County’s early versions of its cannabis ordinances that was specifically crafted to protect WAMM by carving out a “grandfathered” status for WAMM while still giving the County broad discretion deny permits for other operations lacking WAMM’s demonstrated history of providing crucial public health benefits to vulnerable County patients.

Section 24.12.1300.4.B imposes a requirement that the hearing body find that “The proposed use will not adversely affect the health, safety or welfare of area residents or businesses, or uses … and will not be located within proximity of an incompatible use, such as a children’s school, day care facility or children’s play area.”

25.239
3 Very similar language requiring that a proposed operation would not adversely affect the health, safety or welfare of area residents was included in early versions of the County’s ordinance to ensure that other less scrupulous operators without WAMM’s long history of working closely with local government officials to serve sick and dying patients could not impermissibly shoehorn themselves into the WAMM “grandfather” carve-out. It is outrageous that this Council is now being asked to use that very language to exclude WAMM, especially given that denial of this permit would very likely be an extinction event for WAMM.

The Opponents’ Suggested Interpretation of 24.12.1300.4.B Improperly Grants Unfettered Discretion to the City; That Section Must be Read in Conjunction with the City’s Other Cannabis Permitting Rules.

To avoid vulnerability to litigation and potential City liability, City Ordinance Section

24.12.1300.4.B must be read in conjunction with the City’s other cannabis permitting rules and in a manner such that it does not grant the hearing body unfettered discretion to deny a permit where all of the City’s specific requirements are met. The only sensible interpretation here is that

24.12.1300.4.B is meant to allow denial of a permit based on health and safety concerns not otherwise addressed by the cannabis ordinance or other land use ordinances. Here, the only health and safety concern of the opponents appears to be “proximity” to the high school, but proximity to a school is specifically addressed by the 600’ setback requirement imposed by the City’s ordinance and state law. Indeed, Section 24.12.1300.2.D explicitly allows the City Council discretion to grant a permit even where the site is too close to a school and the applicant therefore cannot comply with the 600’ setback requirement. There is no comparable language granting discretion to deny a permit on the basis of proximity to a school where the proposed location fully complies with the 600’ setback requirement, as is the case here. To deny the permit on the basis of 24.12.1300.4.B under these circumstances would be in effect to grant unfettered discretion to the City and very likely subject the City to litigation and liability.

WAMM’s Partnership with The Hook is Appropriate and Necessary for WAMM’s Survival.

Finally, this Council should reject any suggestion that the proposed project should not garner the benefit of WAMM’s long history of public service and close collaboration with the City and County due to the fact that the proposed project is undertaken jointly with a for-profit licensed operator, The Hook dispensary. The sad truth is that despite efforts by many supporters to preserve and protect WAMM’s pioneering non-profit collective garden model, in fact WAMM and its patient members have been left behind and abandoned by the new multi-billion dollar commercial cannabis market. The economic reality for WAMM is that its only means of survival is partnership with a for-profit benefactor. The Hook and Bryce Berryessa are to be commended for this endeavor and support for WAMM, and WAMM’s partnership with The Hook at the Emily’s Bakery location should certainly not be held against WAMM or serve to justify denying the permit and destroying WAMM.

Respectfully,
Allen Hopper

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1 Julia Wood
From: M. Allen Hopper <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, May 9, 2024 9:48 AM
To: City Council
Subject: Fwd: Letter of Support for WAMM, for inclusion with the agenda packet and for consideration at the May 14 City Council Meeting
Attachments: Allen Hopper WAMM Support Letter to City Council 05-08-24.pdf Dear Councilmembers and Staff,
I sent the below email and attached letter to the Mayor and Clerk yesterday, sending now to the "City Council" email as well just to be sure it is received and included in the agenda packet for the May 14 Council Meeting.

Thank you.
-Allen Hopper
Attorney at Law
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: M. Allen Hopper <[email protected]>
Date: Wed, May 8, 2024 at 4:23 PM
Subject: Letter of Support for WAMM, for inclusion with the agenda packet and for consideration at the May 14 City Council Meeting
To: <[email protected]>, <[email protected]> Dear Mayor Keeley and Councilmembers,
Valerie Corral, Ben Rice and Dana McRae suggested that I reach out to you in support of the proposed cannabis dispensary at the site of the former Emily’s Bakery on Mission and Laurel Streets. At their invitation, I intend to offer public comments at the Council’s upcoming public meeting on May 14 and would request that I be allowed additional time for my comments, for a total of 5 minutes, if that is possible.

I also respectfully request that the attached letter be entered into the public record as additional written testimony/comments and distributed to the Councilmembers in advance of the May 14 meeting.

Thank you.

Allen Hopper
Attorney at Law

25.241
1 Allen Hopper, Attorney at Law
3975 Manzanita Drive
San Jose, CA 95117
May 8, 2024
Santa Cruz City Council
809 Center St, Room 10
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Dear Mayor Keeley and Councilmembers,
I write in support of the cannabis dispensary at the site of the former Emily’s Bakery on Mission and Laurel Streets, proposed in partnership with Valerie Corral and the Wo/Men’s Alliance for Medical Marijuana (WAMM). I intend to offer public comments at the Council’s upcoming public meeting on May 14 and respectfully request that this letter be entered into the public record as additional written testimony/comments and distributed to the Councilmembers.

The City’s strong support of WAMM before and after that litigation is well-documented.

25.242
2 federal court was based on the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which protects state and local governments from improper federal government interference and control. The WAMM litigation against the D.E.A. not only carved out unique protections for WAMM allowing its continued operation despite federal illegality, but moreover was an important step in the evolution of the legal framework that today shapes the national cannabis regulatory landscape. I share this history now because it illustrates the important role WAMM has played not only here in Santa Cruz but nationally.

The Discretion Afforded by Section 24.12.1300.4.B is Patterned After Early Versions of the County’s Cannabis Ordinance Intended to Protect WAMM.

25.243
3 Very similar language requiring that a proposed operation would not adversely affect the health, safety or welfare of area residents was included in early versions of the County’s ordinance to ensure that other less scrupulous operators without WAMM’s long history of working closely with local government officials to serve sick and dying patients could not impermissibly shoehorn themselves into the WAMM “grandfather” carve-out. It is outrageous that this Council is now being asked to use that very language to exclude WAMM, especially given that denial of this permit would very likely be an extinction event for WAMM.

To avoid vulnerability to litigation and potential City liability, City Ordinance Section

WAMM’s Partnership with The Hook is Appropriate and Necessary for WAMM’s Survival.

Respectfully,
Allen Hopper

25.244
1 Julia Wood
From: Treehouse Team <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, May 9, 2024 12:15 PM
To: City Council
Subject: TO BE ENTERED INTO PUBLIC RECORD: These Individuals Stand With The Hook and WAMM Phytotherapies Against Unprecedented City Council Challenges Attachments: WAMM-Member-City-Council-Letters-5.9.24.pdf Attached is a PDF containing letters from members of WAMM Phytotherapies. Please enter them into the public record of the Santa Cruz City Council Meeting happening on Tuesday, May 14th. Thank you. --
Contact Information for Other Treehouse Staff
DISCLAIMER: This message is intended only for the designated recipient(s). It may contain confidential or proprietary information and may be subject to other confidentiality protections. If you are not a designated recipient, you may not review, copy or distribute this message. If you receive this in error, please notify the sender by reply e-mail and delete this message. Thank you.

25.245
Dear Santa Cruz City Council,
I have been with WAMM for well over 20 ye
`vAv'as c!iagnosec! `vAv'ith] 'Lupijs s]LE. Doctors ir[sis within the year. It was painful and scary but
l'm stl.ll here.

The fi.rst thing I notice was Val insisted that we follow the law to the letter. And we do. If our annual doctor recommendation expires, we come back AFTER it's renewed. Our goal has always been to work in unison with the police department and the community.

We take this seriously and Val and everybody else would never allow a child or anyone without a doctor's prescription.

I am so grateful for WAMM. I have never taken the pain pills the doctor offered. WAMM's medicine helps the pain enough to get my mind off it temporarily without the side effects of pain pills.

Which we no know these ruin peoples' lives.

Please con.sic!er this.

Janet Matulich

25.246
April 16 2oi7
Dear City coiincil,
My husband and I are going on to be 83 yrs old. I suffer from arrhriTis and him wil'h demenria . We both use Marijuana.

Him for sl'ress reduction, sleep, and pain.

JVLe for sleep and pain relief.

I also liave Two grand daughters who aHend Mission Hill, and SCHS.

Am I worried they will purchase products from The hook? If lhey did, could they open the package??
NO!
Thank you,
Harry and SLJsan Unger

25.247
April,20Z4
Dear council,
I am writing you about the school and the Hook, and WalrLm.

This is an absolute no brainer:

The law is COO feet
The building is 850 feet
PERIOD! The law is the law.

D® the right thing -They are not the problem with the schools Thands
I. Jare Russeu
Tax payer in Santa Cruz

25.248
Dearest City Counsel,
I am writing you in support of the new dispensary on Mission Street.

I understand the school has issues with this.

This business serves most of the poor and sick in our community, And has been for 25+ yrs.

I have used their service while going thro Chemo.

They are not just about Marijuana!
They help with knowledge and info, eating, and diets, current events in our town, Among many other services.

With the prices of medication going up daily this is a necessary service, lt helps people who are on pharmaceuticals for anxiety, cancer ,aids seizers, along with many, many other illnesses.

Please continue to do the right thing!
The school needs to put more education regarding all drugs. Marijuana is the least of them.

ThaLnk you for your time,
Reverend Ray Miller

25.249
April 9,2024
mEHEEEIEEmE[HEEEEHHEEEEl[HIE|E|EIEEE]|ililiiiii|ii||ilHit

25.250
whom it may concern:

Council:
y name is Ethan I graduated from SCHS in 1 989. Back then there were plenty of options when it came to pot and ohol. It is easily accessible for high school students. ere were no dispensaries charging enormous prices for their product. Nor did you have to have an I.D. e Hook has a spotless reputation for following the law. I have never seen anyone underage in any of their pensaries.
amm has an even better rep in this town. Not only for medication, but help with doctors, food, illnesses, and mradery among the patients. Help with death and dying, like hospice. ey are the birth of medical Marijuana. Santa Cruz has always been known for Marijuana. ey do an essential service to the neediest of people in this town. ndersta.nd that both parties have put all their eggs in this basket and if it does work out there are no other places for in.
rjously doubt and high school student is going to all the trouble to get a fake i . to buy pot. Totally ridiculous.
e facts are the facts. Please do the right thing and allow them to access this propert)/.

Ethan Fitzhenry
ncerned citizen

25.251
ear City Counsel,
would Like to speak about the proposed dispensary on Mission treet.
do understand that the schools need to educate the children in rug abuse and the medical uses ol: drugs.
thought when the Lottery money came in it was supposed to go education.
his either did not happen or the funds have been misused. don't think either side is wrong, but to stop a businessman, and parent with excellent references from his Landlords, and the usiness bureau, the Santa Cruz Police, and Many, many private itizens in this town is wrong.
specially when he has bent over backwards to work with
chools.
he schools on the other hand, under pay the workers at the ottom and are not educating the children for the real world. hey can't keep drugs off their campuses and need to put the Lame somewhere.
hey make up stories about kids and I.D.s in the dispensaries . how graphs that mean nothing.
hey are not experts on Marijuana or any other drugs.
erhaps they should pay mr. Berryessa and Ms. Corral to teach e facts about Marijuana, to the children.
ith declining enrollment, the have much work to do, instead of orrying about something so small.
arLene Ftoberts
oncerned citizen.

25.252
ril 12th 2024
e Hook and Wamm are an excellent business for Emilies bakery. th have excellent references in this town, from their landlords to the police.

Ierie Corral is an expert not only on Marijuana, but many other drugs, pharmaceuticals , d their affects.
amm deals with death and dying under her watchful eyes. in a supporter of Wamm and have been for years.
hink the dispensary will be a fabulous edition to the Westside. ease follow the law and don't change midstream. Let them continue to serve those who ed it the most.
urs Truly Rodney Gandy

25.253
1 Julia Wood
From: Larry Bernstein <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, May 9, 2024 12:45 PM
To: City Council
Subject: WAMM
Dear City Council members,
I am writing this email to support WAMM and asking you to approve the dispensary permit for WAMM,
Please do not overturn the city map that approves the permit for WAMM's dispensary.

WAMM has been a positive resource for Santa Cruz county and we need to support this valuable community resource.

All the Best
Larry Bernstein

25.254
2 Julia Wood
From: Wayne Miller <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, May 9, 2024 4:20 PM
To: City Council
Subject: The Hook Santa Cruz proposed 2000 feet from school.

Cannabis Dispensary
Addressing the 2000 Feet Buffer for The Hook Santa Cruz A open letter in defense of the location of cannabis dispensaries From Wayne Miller, Santa Cruz Designer since 1978
First we must acknowledge that cannabis was demonized by racial bigots 100 years ago because it was popular with black jazz musicians and Mexicans.

George Washington grew, cannabis as a drug, per a letter to his brother during the revolutionary war.

We now know conclusively it is a very safe drug.

To that point the US DEA has moved to reclassify cannabis from a class 1 drug to a class 3 drug.

This should greatly diminish the perceived danger of its use.

No one has ever died by ingesting cannabis in any form.

It’s certainly the perceived horror of children passing by it going to and from school.

No children are allowed to enter a cannabis shop.

No one under 21 is allowed.

On the other hand a liquor store does not prohibit children from entering and buying non-alcoholic drinks.

Alcohol, which can cause death by its ingestion, is not considered enough of a problem to require a 2000 feet buffer.

The dispensary in dispute is in a commercial district on one of the busiest streets in town.

Being only a bit cynical I’d say it’s more dangerous for the kids to have to cross Mission St on the way to and from school than passing a cannabis shop.

If you are still reading I appreciate it, Thank You.

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4 Julia Wood
From: info at wamm <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, May 9, 2024 5:07 PM
To: City Council
Subject: Letter of support to be added to public record Attachments: Rick Cook Letter.pdf
Hello,
Please add this letter from a WAMM Phyto volunteer to the public record on behalf of WAMM Phytotherapies and the Hook Outlet's appeal hearing coming up on May 14th.

Thank you so much,
--
Phoenyx Nist-Ferrare
Administrative Compassionate Care Coordinator 퓂
Office Hours: Monday & Wednesday 11:00 am - 5:00pm
WAMM Phytotherapies contact information
Mailing address: P.O. Box 124 Davenport, CA 95017
Phone number: (831) 425 - 0580
Email address: [email protected]
Urgent: We need your support to continue to operate!
Our Website
WAMM Phytotherapies is a donation based organization, and is only able to continue operations due to the generosity of others. If you would like to support us please click on our Venmo link: WAMM Phyto Venmo Thank you very much!

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1 Julia Wood
From: Bayley Logan <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, May 9, 2024 5:57 PM
To: City Council
Subject: Urging Approval for Legal, Local Small Business at 1129 Mission St Urging Approval for WAMM Phytotherapies’ & The Hook Dispensary at 1129 Mission St Dear Members of the Santa Cruz City Council,
As a proud resident of Santa Cruz County, I am writing to express my wholehearted support for The Hook Outlet's and WAMM Phytotherapies' proposed dispensary at 1129 Mission Street. This initiative is a testament to fair and responsible cannabis business practices, supports our local economy, and assists our most vulnerable citizens—all of which align with the priorities set forth in our city’s general plan.

The collaboration between The Hook Outlet and WAMM—a respected pioneer in medical cannabis— ensures that compassionate care continues to be accessible here. For over three decades, WAMM has generously provided free medicine to our community's critically ill. To deny this dispensary, which complies fully with zoning laws, would significantly and permanently hinder their commendable efforts to help those in dire need.

The Hook Outlet sets a high standard for regulatory compliance. Their comprehensive security measures, low-profile storefront design and educational initiatives through www.safecannabis.net all reflect their commitment to community health and safety.

Moreover, this business has proven to be a valuable asset to our community. It creates jobs, enhances our tax revenue, and actively supports local nonprofits. The Planning Commission’s recommendation to approve this project further confirms its value and adherence to regulatory standards.

Rejecting this application, despite widespread community support and compliance with all guidelines, would not only erode trust in our local governance but also discourage future investment in our city by signaling that regulatory goals are unpredictably shifting.

I urge the City Council to maintain its dedication to transparency and fairness by approving The Hook Outlet and WAMM’s application. Failing to do so could establish a concerning precedent with extensive negative implications.

Respectfully,
Bayley Logan

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2 Julia Wood
From: Ralph Bpwman <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, May 9, 2024 6:08 PM
To: City Council
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: Uphold Your Own Rules, Approve Hook Outlet/WAMM To the Santa Cruz City Council:

Sincerely,
A Concerned Santa Cruz Resident
Sent from my iPhone

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3 Julia Wood
From: Jenna Gallant <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, May 9, 2024 6:52 PM
To: City Council
Subject: PUBLIC COMMENT - for the 5/14 Santa Cruz City Council Meeting Please enter the following into public record for the Tuesday, May 14 Santa Cruz City Council Meeting:
--------------------------------------------
Hello City Council of Santa Cruz,
I am writing to you once again to voice that I am in opposition to the appeal brought against the applicant KGBB DBA The Hook Santa Cruz by the small, but vocal group of well-meaning but horribly misinformed and undereducated parents and teachers.

The proposed business at 1129 Mission Street has played by the rules and followed the law to the letter. They have made every effort to work with the Santa Cruz High School School Board (who made the initial appeal), the parents and teachers (who have made the current appeal), and the City Council members who have also voiced their concerns.

After spending my own time reading the appeal submitted to the City Council on 3.14.24, and doing my own research on the points made by those concerned parents and teachers, I have come to the conclusion that their argument is misinformed at best, sinister at worst.

We are (or should be) all on the same page that youth should not be consuming cannabis recreationally, there is no argument there. Studies have shown that cannabis can be potentially dangerous for developing neurotypical brains, same as pharmaceuticals, alcohol, and nicotine products.

As a former educator (and former teenager) myself, I know well that teens are creative enough to get their hands on whatever drugs, alcohol, nicotine products, etc. that they want. As someone who utilizes legal dispensaries here in Santa Cruz, I also know that youth are not sourcing their cannabis from legal dispensaries. The regulations are too strict, and the risk is too big for dispensaries to sell to underage folk. All transactions in dispensaries are required to be on camera and stored for a minimum of 90 days, they use black lights and scanners on IDs, they educate their staff on what fake IDs look like, and have on site security. The consequence of selling to an underage person is revocation of your cannabis retail license, which is obviously way too high of a risk for any dispensary to take. Especially in an industry where everyone seems to literally just be squeaking by from being over taxed while still, despite it being a legal industry, being treated like criminals as opposed to business owners.

Another point I would like to make is that in the City of Santa Cruz, the excise tax + sales tax on cannabis is ~27%. Sorry, but no traditional (black) market drug dealer I've ever met or heard of pays taxes when sourcing their product. That's just not happening. Teens buying cannabis are buying cannabis sourced from the traditional (black) market, which is far more dangerous, unregulated, untested, and can feasibly contain anything from pesticides to fentanyl. And/or they're taking

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4 cannabis from their parents, older siblings, etc., which is the same way many teens source pharmaceuticals, alcohol, and nicotine products. A more effective way to mitigate teen cannabis use, rather than prevent a legal business from opening, would be for parents to keep their substances locked up and have open, honest, and transparent conversations with their children.

The Hook Outlet has publicly stated their plans to raise the age of who they will sell to, even though they do not legally have to, to 19, so that parents would be less worried. They have altered their building plans to conceal the contents of the shop, so that no one walking by will see the inside or the business, or what they sell. They have altered their signage plans, and limited it to one sign with the name of their business and a green cross. If this isn't proof of business owners doing everything they can to work with the concerns of the community, I don't know what is. We should be so lucky to have such a community-minded & locally owned business move into our neighborhood.

I haven't even yet mentioned the fact that they are partnering with WAMM Phytotherapies- who, if you don't know your history, is the organization founded and led by Val Corral that legally provides free medicinal cannabis to members in our community who have terminal or chronic illnesses. The work she and that organization have done to improve the quality of life of our fellow humans here in Santa Cruz is immense, impactful, and absolutely must continue. In a country where healthcare is so incredibly f*cked up, we need organizations like WAMM Phytotherapies to pick up where the systems fail.

When someone who has been addicted to opiates in their life needs treatment for pain, where can they turn if not WAMM? When someone who has tried everything to find something to help with their epileptic seizures, and nothing has worked until cannabis, where can they turn if not WAMM? These are two examples of hundreds that exist in our community. Legal (and therefore regulated, tested, and safe) cannabis is expensive and heavily taxed. WAMM Phytotherapies works through Senate Bill 34 to provide free of cost legal cannabis to patients who need it. They can only do this through legal dispensaries. They need a location on the Westside of Santa Cruz for the people with disabilities that live there. The Hook Outlet at 1129 Mission Street is that location.

In conclusion, please don't let the War On Drugs era scare tactics, misinformation, and fear mongering of this appeal fool you. Allow the Hook Outlet and WAMM Phytotherapies to open their legal dispensary at 1129 Mission Street.

Thank you again for your time and consideration, I hope you do what is logical and right.

Sincerely,
J. Gallant
Santa Cruz resident and engaged community member since 2017

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5 Julia Wood
From: Ben Rice <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, May 9, 2024 10:34 PM
To: City Council
Subject: Letter from Assembly member Gail Pellerin
Attachments: Assembly member Pellerin letter to Council.docx

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May 8, 2024
Santa Cruz City Council
809 Center St, Room 10
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Dear Mayor Keeley and Councilmembers,
I write to express my strong support for the proposed cannabis dispensary at the site of the former Emily’s Bakery on Mission and Laurel Streets. This project, in partnership with Valerie Corral and the Wo/Men’s Alliance for Medical Marijuana (WAMM), offers a unique opportunity to continue providing crucial services to our community.

Valerie Corral is a highly respected leader in medical marijuana advocacy, and I have worked with her on initiatives like the United Way’s Compassionate Use Initiative and Santa Cruz County's Community Prevention Partners. For more than 30 years, WAMM has provided compassionate care to individuals with chronic or terminal illnesses, offering services at low or no cost. This dispensary will continue this vital legacy and aims to support more than 200 members by the end of 2024.

The facility meets all city zoning and safety requirements, exceeding the minimum distance from the nearest school by a considerable margin. It will operate with limited signage and ensure no cannabis products are visible from the street. Additionally, sales will be restricted to those aged 19 and older, prioritizing safety.

I urge the Council to approve this dispensary, which will ensure that those most in need receive the care and support they deserve while upholding public safety and responsible business practices.

Sincerely,
Gail Pellerin
Assemblymember, District 28
GP:mm
1 Lindsay Nelson
From: Jackie <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, May 10, 2024 8:09 AM
To: City Council
Subject: Fw: Maxines letter
Dear City Counsel:

My name is Maxine Miller. I have been the Property manager of The Viking Hall on Plymouth Street here in Santa Cruz.

Valerie and the people of Wamm rented the hall once a week, sometimes more for over a decade.

They always paid on time.

They always left the hall clean. Always cleaner than they found it. Even the outside.

They actually helped our group on many projects at the hall.

In ten plus years, we Never got one complaint of noise, or any problem from their group.

They are respectful, and considerate.

There are many children and families on button street, Grant Street, and in the area in general.

Not once was there an issue regarding Marijuana, with children or adults. don't even think anyone knew they were there. Not even the Nar canon group which had breakfast the day after the Wamm meetings in the Hall. It was always clean and ready for them.

We were very sorry with the new regulations, and marijuana becoming legal, our building did not fit the cities rules.

I understand they have been having a hard time to get a place. This is a shame. this is one of the best groups we ever had the pleasure of working with.

I am hoping the counsel will give them this new place or find one suitable for them.

It is a shame to think this group would have to stop the wonderful work they do, over a few feet of space.

Please let me say they are top notch!
Maxine Miller
Viking Hall manager
2 AOL Mail Stationery
----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Jackie <[email protected]>
To: [email protected] <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, May 9, 2024 at 05:36:05 PM PDT
Subject: Re: Maxines letter
Dear City Counsel:

My name is Maxine Miller. I have been the Property manager of The Viking Hall on Plymouth Street here in Santa Cruz.

Valerie and the people of Wamm rented the hall once a week ,sometimes more for over a decade.

They always paid on time.

They always left the hall clean. Always cleaner than they found it. Even the outside.

They actually helped our group on many projects at the hall.

In ten plus years ,we Never got one complaint of noise, or any problem from their group.

They are respectful, and considerate.

There are many children and families on button street, Grant Street, and in the area in general.

Not once was there an issue regarding Marijuana, with children or adults. don't even think anyone knew they were there. Not even the Narcanon group which had breakfast the day after the Wamm meetings in the Hall.

We were very sorry with the new regulations, and marijuana becoming legal, our building did not fit the cities rules.

I understand they have been having a hard time to get a place. This is a shame. this is one of the best groups we ever had the pleasure of working with.

I am hoping the counsel will give them this new place or find one suitable for them.

It is a shame to think this group would have to stop the wonderful work they do, over a few feet of space.

Please let me say they are top notch!
Maxine Miller
Viking Hall manager
3 Lindsay Nelson
From: Jackie <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, May 10, 2024 8:14 AM
To: City Council
Subject: Re: Emily"s Bakery building
Thu, May 9 at 6:22 PM
Dear Counsel, May 9,2024
It is to my serious anxiety to have to write this letter.

I have been with Wamm for 20 plus years. I did not use marijuana at the time I started but was caring for a member. In that time, I have done caregiving, gardening, Baking, volunteering hospice work, Speakers, panels, and board of directors and been an advocate for all these years.

I have been Married for 17yrs to a Wamm member/ patient.

During covid was able to have Wamm help me thro Beast Cancer, involving a double Mastectomy, tubes and ovaries removed, and 6 months of Chemo.

Without the help of Wamm members and the medication, I could not have have beaten Cancer, 2yrs clean.

Wamm has been searching for a perminate home since Marijuana became legal.

Most places cannot take Wamm due to the insurance. Altho we have excellent references, everywhere we have been. We do nothing wrong. People have a stigma surrounding Marijuana. this is false.

I believe if there was an issue with children and Marijuana, you would have heard about it long before this.

There is NO evidence that we have at all influenced, or tempted to give children illegal Marijuana or anything else.

The Santa Cruz police have told me they appreciate Wamm work because it keeps patients off the street buying Pot. Also helps keep people from having anxiety, or panic attacks in public. not to mention all the terminal patients they help.

I also have a daughter who suffers from Cer able Pasley, Wamm also helps with this.

I raised two children who graduated from Santa Cruz High. One is a computer tech, living in Mazatlán, and the other is finishing at Cabrillo and transferring over to UCSC soon.

The notion that kids will buy vape or any other thing is ridiculous. The kids can buy vapes or liquor, many places up and down Mission Street.

The school has and ,have had a marijuana problem, since my kids went there. To even suggest that the dispensary, will have any effect on them is stupid.

They have had a marijuana, alcohol problem always. Kids will experiment, no matter what.

How do I know?
Well, I retired from the schools about 7 yrs. ago. after 25yrs, of being thousands of children's lunch lady in this city. 4 I am more worried about what these kids get on the mall, or the park. Two kids we know have overdosed on Fentanyl, purchased on the mall,
not knowing what they were getting.

Education begins at home.

Santa Cruz has always seen the Value in Wamm's Work. please follow the law, do the correct thing.

Allow Wamm to survive, with the help of the Hook.

Thank you,
Mrs Jackie Russell
5 Lindsay Nelson
From: Jackie <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, May 10, 2024 8:16 AM
To: City Council
Subject: Re: Save Wamm
• May 9,2024
Dear council Member:

I am writing because I am concerned about the school districts opposition to the Hook and Wamm Phytotherapies proposed new place in the old Emily's building.

I did attend the previous meetings regarding this issue The school district had many speakers and graphs showing their reasons for opposing to this site. they had parents speak, they had doctors, some school Nurses, and the superintendent, somehow the even got students to speak.

One of the concerns was vapes which the kids can currently buy from the gas station or the cigarette store in the Palm Plaza.

They said there is currently a problem in the school with Marijuana. which the children can easily access cheaper than in a dispensary (No taxes) and requires no I.D. down on the mall or in the park.

Although much of their presentation was not factual, and the graphs were not correct, we sat and listened.

When they completed their presentation, Bryce got up and gave one of the best presentations, I have ever seen for why this was legal, and important to not only him, but also Wamm Therapies, and the patients who could access their medicine here.

To every argument the school district had, he had factual information, to rebut all of their, arguments against this business.

He is not only a businessman He is a parent, and also lives in the neighborhood.

He has bent over backwards to please the school district, from redoing the outside of the building, to make it less cannabis looking, to upping the age to enter. He is not 600 hundred feet from the school, but 850 feet from the school.

Valerie Corral who is working with him, has been working to in the schools with the schools for years, education is the key.

We are offering more of this.
6 The Santa Cruz Police even got up and gave him an excellent review, stating he has never had any incidents in his other dispensaries, since they had been open. they also stated that there is NO evidence to show kids are getting ID's or medical cards for dispensaries.

The best was seeing Emily Give both Bryce and Val and outstanding review and stated they could not get better people in there than them.

The reason this being so important, is because since it became Legal, Wamm has been trying to open and have a place to meet and dispense to patients. Valerie has personally been funding this for the patients. If this does not happen it will be the end of Wamm. We have complied with every regulation and rule and still can't open. Time has run out.

With the rules being so strict, this spot is the only one in town, that they could meet all the regulations.

Bryce is a sharp Businessman. He checked all the Boxes, and requirements, not once, but twice, using all his money from the other places to make this happen. knowing that this is Wamms last shot.

How is this fair to him or Wamm. They have done nothing wrong. Even offering more. Not seeing any problem with the school, as he is way over compliance.

This spot is really better for our patients, easy access from the bus. Many terminal patients are kids or have kids
.

I hear the district wants to change the distance. That fine to discuss but not in this case. Would that make all dispensaries out of compliance? How is this right? When these rules were made, they were well thought out, by many people who were quite knowledgeable and have been working well.

I don't think the district, or anyone else has the right to change these laws. to suit themselves.

Thank you for serving our community. the school district does not run this city, the citizens do, the Handi capped, the sick, the ones who need a compassionate ear, and a break from chemo. The city has always been supportive, and grateful for the work being done by Wamm and Medical Marijuana. .

This is a Santa Cruz rooted Organization, Non-profit, known all over the world and well Respected.

For 30 yrs.

Don't let this end Wamm. Everyday someone else needs our help. I am hoping you will see how wrong it is if they are not allowed to open.

Yours truly,
7 Mrs J Fitzhenry
Marijuana advocate
Wamm phytotherapies board member
Community member
Breast Cancer survivor
Beachflatbetty @ Aol.com

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8 Lindsay Nelson
From: Bryce Berryessa <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, May 10, 2024 9:56 AM
To: City Council
Cc: Ryan Bane; Bonnie Bush
Subject: City Council Meeting Submission 5/14/24
Attachments: SKM_C450i24051009390.pdf; Emily Reilly.pdf; LEOPOLD - Support letter for 1129 MIssion.docx Please see the attached for inclusion in the agenda packet.

Thank you,
Bryce Berryessa

From: Emily Reilly [email protected]
Subject: support of proposed use 1129 Mission Street
Date: March 1, 2024 at 12:57PM
To: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] Dear Planning Commission and City Staff,
Thank you for your ongoing work.

I wholeheartedly support The Hook Outlet’s request to open their business at 1129 Mission St.

I rented that space for over 40 years and learned about The Hook’s business practices and relationships during the transition process.

I was impressed with Bryce and Kyle, with their consistent responsible behavior and pleased to witness their serious attention to our local ordinances and processes.

It was great to work with people who had done their due diligence, who knew the rules and were ready to commit their time, money and energy to their project and our community.

They were also sensitive to my needs and open and communicative with our landlord as well.

I was encouraged to learn of their relationship with Valerie Corral, whom I have known and worked with in various endeavors over the past 30 years, and trust without reservation.

I have every confidence that Bryce and Kyle and Valerie, and those with whom they work, will continue to contribute to our community and that their presence at 1129 Mission St. will be a positive addition to my Westside neighborhood.

Sincerely,
Emily Reilly
219 California Street
818-6490, call or text anytime
John Leopold
3435 Gross Road, Santa Cruz, CA 95062 | 831-566-0122 | john@friendsofjohnleopold RE: Support for WAMM Phytotherapies and The Hook Dispensary at 1129 Mission St.

To City Planning Commission and City Council
I am writing in support of The Hook Outlet’s and WAMM Phytotherapies (WAMM) proposed dispensary at 1129 Mission St. I have worked with the principals at the Hook and with WAMM for many years and I can attest to their commitment and care for our community.

While serving as the Executive Director of the Santa Cruz AIDS Project, I first worked with WAMM in 1991. They were helping out people living with HIV/AIDS at a time where there was not a lot of community support. They helped ease the pain and provided support for individuals, some of whom had been shunned by family and friends. Over the years I have seen their services and witnessed their commitment to helping people at some of the most difficult moments in their lives. I worked directly with them in setting County policy over medicinal cannabis and cultivation regulations. For many years they have eschewed profit-making in the world of cannabis and continue to be the gold standard for helping people with medicinal cannabis.

In my role as a County Supervisor, I worked with Bryce Berryesa in creating both policies and tax plans that have served our community well. His businesses are sited in the district that I represented and I never received complaints from others about his operations. I have found that Bryce is rooted firmly in our community – raising his family here, operating business and engaged in the arts community. He has been a good partner who sees the big picture of needs.

The City has developed a solid set of regulations that provide clear boundaries about where retail cannabis establishments can be sited. Dispensaries have strict age guidelines and have a greater level of security than alcohol or tobacco retail stores, which are closer than the proposed cannabis operation. The operators are well known to our community and invested in being part of the community.

The concerns that parents have for their children are real but are balanced by a sound set of zoning requirements and a high level of security at the proposed location. I urge you not to change your wellbalanced regulations out of fear. The City has adopted evidence-based policies, and I want to encourage you to look at the evidence here of committed operators, strong policies and security greater than any other retail establishment in the city.

I recommend that you approve the application for the WAMM/Hook store.

Sincerely,
1 Rosemary Balsley
Sent: Monday, May 13, 2024 7:54 AM
To: Rosemary Balsley
Subject: FW: May 14 Testimony
From: Arnold Leff, M.D. <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, May 10, 2024 12:10 PM
To: Rosemary Balsley <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: May 14 Testimony
Sorry. Having computer problems. Here it is:

To Mayor Keeley and City Council:

I am planning to testify on behalf of WAMM on May 14th. Following is a partial resume of my relevant experience. *City of Cincinnati drug abuse coordinator and later Commissioner of Health *Deputy Associate Director, White House Drug Abuse Office *Drug Abuse Consultant, Deputy Secretary of Defense
*Health Services Director, Contra Costa County
*Retired Santa Cruz Health Officer and Registered Environmental Health Specialist and Medical Director, Santa Cruz County Jail
*Previous Member, State of California's Cannabis Bureau advisory committee *Private Medical Practice in Santa Cruz specializing in HIV medicine, hospice and palliative care, geriatrics and family medicine (certified in all; retired)
*Previous Associate Medical Director, Santa Cruz Methadone Maintenance Program In addition, I have held the following faculty appointments:

Clinical Professor of Medicine, Stanford
Associate Professor, Family Medicine, University of California Assistant Professor of Pharmacology and Internal Medicine, University of Cincinnati I have served the city as Chair of the former Citizens Police Review Board as well as in my capacity as the Health Officer and Environmental Health Director
Arnold Sterne Leff, M.D.
831 345-2009
Confidentiality Notice
This messagecontains information that may be confidential and privileged under the law. Unless you are the addressee (or otherwise legally authorized person) you may not use, copy, or otherwisedisclose to anyone the contents of this message or any of its attachments.Please call 831 345-2009 should you receive this in error.
9 Lindsay Nelson
From: Ben Rice <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, May 10, 2024 12:44 PM
To: City Council
Cc: Arnold Leff MD; Valerie Leveroni Corral; Bryce Berryessa Subject: [CAUTION: Verify Sender Before Opening!] materials for council members and agenda item re.

WAMM 5-14-24
Attachments: Osteoarthritis Patients Report Sustained Benefits .docx; Societal Impacts of Cannabis Dispensaries.docx; jamapsychiatry_anderson_2024_ld_240003_1713555797.80474.pdf; frequent cannabis use dn lead to apathy.docx; JAMA Psychiatry.docx; Frequent chronic use study 2024- chronic-cannabis-use-in-everyday-life-emotional-motivational-and-self-regulatory-effects-of.pdf Hello, please attach this as part of the WAMM materials. I am providing it on behalf of a witness for the Tuesday meeting, Dr. Arnie Leff.

Study: Osteoarthritis Patients Report
Sustained Benefits From Cannabis • BY NORML
• POSTED ON MAY 2, 2024
London, United Kingdom: Patients diagnosed with osteoarthritis report pain-specific improvements following their use of medical cannabis preparations, according to observational data published in the Journal of Pain & Palliative Care Pharmacotherapy.

British researchers assessed the use of cannabis-based medicinal products (CBMPs) consisting of either flower or oil extracts in a cohort of osteoarthritis patients enrolled in the UK Medical Cannabis Registry. (Since 2018, British specialists have been permitted to prescribe cannabis-based medicinal products to patients unresponsive to conventional medications.) Researchers assessed changes in patient-reported outcomes measures over a one-year period.

Patients reported symptom improvements at one-month, three-months, six-months, and at one-year.
“Commencement of CBMP treatment was associated with reductions in pain-specific PROMs [patient-reported outcome measures] at all time points in patients with osteoarthritis,” researchers reported. Patients also reported improved sleep. Contrary to the results of several other studies, patients prescribed opioids did not decrease their opioid intake following their initiation of medical cannabis.

Investigators documented few serious side-effects associated with cannabis. “AEs [adverse events] were mainly mild or moderate in severity,” they wrote. “Fatigue was the most common AE in this study.”
The study’s authors concluded: “These results suggest an improvement in pain-related outcomes for patients with osteoarthritis following the initiation of CBMP treatment.

Furthermore, there was an improvement in general HRQoL [health-related quality of life] metrics across the follow-up period. CBMPs also appeared to be well-tolerated at 12-month follow-up. … Hence, this study supports the development of RCTs [randomized clinical trials] for CBMP use in osteoarthritis.”
Other studies assessing the use of cannabis products in patients enrolled in the UK Cannabis Registry have reported them to be effective for those suffering from chronic pain, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, depression, migraine, inflammatory bowel disease, and other afflictions.

Full text of the study, “Assessment of clinical outcomes in patients with osteoarthritis: Analysis from the UK Medical Cannabis Registry,” appears in the Journal of Pain & Palliative Care Pharmacotherapy. Additional information on cannabis and arthritis is available from NORML’s publication, Clinical Applications for Cannabis & Cannabinoids. 1 Societal Impacts of Cannabis
Dispensaries/Retailers
Retail cannabis facilities are not positively associated with increased criminality • “Many North American jurisdictions have legalized the operation of recreational marijuana dispensaries. A common concern is that dispensaries may contribute to local crime. … The random assignment of recreational marijuana retail licenses in Washington State provides a unique opportunity to identify the causal effect of dispensary openings on local crime. … Combining lottery data with detailed geocoded crime data, we estimate that the presence of a dispensary has no significant impact on local crime in the average neighborhood.” The impact of recreational marijuana dispensaries on crime: evidence from a lottery experiment, The Annals of Regional Science, 2023
• “This paper studies the effects of marijuana legalization on neighborhood crime and documents the patterns in retail dispensary locations over time using detailed micro-level data from Denver, Colorado. … The results imply that an additional dispensary in a neighborhood leads to a reduction of 17 crimes per month per 10,000 residents, which corresponds to roughly a 19 percent decline relative to the average crime rate over the sample period. … Overall, our results suggest that dispensaries cause an overall reduction in crime in neighborhoods, with no evidence of spillovers to surrounding neighborhoods. … Our results are consistent with theories that predict that marijuana legalization will displace illicit criminal organizations and decrease crime through changes in security behaviors or substitution toward more harmful substances. … Lastly, there is no evidence that increased marijuana use itself results in additional crime.”
Not in my backyard? Not so fast. The effect of marijuana legalization on neighborhood crime, Regional Science and Urban Economics, 2019
• “The objective of this study is to investigate whether a particular element of MMLs, namely allowance for dispensaries, affects local crime and other indicators of marijuana misuse. We find no evidence that ordinances allowing for marijuana dispensaries lead to an increase in crime. In fact, we see some evidence of a reduction in property crime. … Our study appears to reinforce the conclusions from other studies that fail to find an increase in the type of crime predicted by law enforcement. We find no effects on burglary, robberies, or assaults, which are the types of crimes one would expect if dispensaries were prime targets as a result of their holding large amounts of cash. … Our findings indicate that policymakers should be careful in how they regulate the presence of dispensaries, while not jumping to the conclusion that dispensaries are clearly crime generating hot-spots. … Our findings suggest that it is possible to regulate these markets and find a common ground between safety and access to medical marijuana.”
High on Crime? Exploring the Effects of Marijuana Dispensary Laws on Crime in California Counties, IZA Institute of Labor Economics Discussion Paper Series, May 2018 2 ADDITIONAL REFERENCES
By contrast, dispensary closures are associated with increases in crime • “The results presented above show that temporary dispensary closures increase crime in the short-run. … Analyzing medical marijuana dispensary closures in the City of Los Angeles, we find no support for the idea that closing dispensaries reduces crime. Rather, temporary closures deter some types of Part I crime. … Our findings have direct policy implications for regulating marijuana sales in the U.S. They imply that dispensary closures, and potentially the closure of other types of retails establishments, exert a significant negative externality in terms of neighborhood criminality. A quick back of the envelope cost calculation using the change in larceny theft at 1/3 of a mile and crime costs … suggests that an open dispensary provides over $30,000 per year in social benefit in terms of larcenies prevented.” Going to pot: The impact of dispensary closures on crime. Journal of Urban Economics, 2017 Retail cannabis facilities are associated with rising housing values • “This study finds a positive relationship between the decision to allow cannabis-related businesses and home prices. For example, we find that the average home sale price increased by 1.6% in municipalities that allowed cannabis-related businesses compared to municipalities that did not allow these businesses, which is equivalent to a $6,366 increase for the average property in our data. … In terms of policy recommendations, our results suggest state and local policymakers can be cautiously optimistic about the short-run impacts of allowing cannabis-related businesses in their jurisdictions.” The Determinants and Impacts of Allowing Cannabis Businesses: Evidence from New Jersey Municipalities, Rutgers New Jersey State Policy Lab, September 2022
• “To learn how marijuana legalization may impact real estate, we used publicly available data from Zillow and the U.S. Census, among other sources, to explore the relationships between home values, marijuana legalization, dispensaries, and tax revenue. We used multiple regression analyses to model current trends and predict future patterns. … Between April 2017 and April 2021, property values rose $17,113 more in states where recreational marijuana is legal, compared to states where marijuana is illegal or limited to medicinal use. … We found that cities with more dispensaries are positively correlated with higher home values, suggesting legalization boosts jobs and economic growth. … With each new dispensary a city adds, property values increase by $519. … As more states legalize marijuana, there is strong evidence that legalization drives higher property values — particularly in areas that allow recreational marijuana and welcome retail dispensaries. … These investments can improve quality of life in communities across the nation while attracting tourism and new residents who drive real estate demand.” Clever Real Estate: Data Science, “2021 Study: How Legalizing Recreational Marijuana Impacts Homes Values,” July 12, 2021
• “We evaluate the effect of medical and recreational dispensary openings on housing prices in Denver, Colorado. Using an event study approach, we find that the introduction of a new dispensary within a half‐mile radius of a new home increases home prices by approximately 3 7.7 percent on average. The effect diminishes for homes further from new dispensaries but is consistent over time. Our results provide important and timely empirical evidence on the socioeconomic impacts of marijuana legalization.”
The effect of marijuana dispensary openings on housing prices, Contemporary Economic Policy, 2018 • “In this paper we contribute to the debate on the impacts of recreational marijuana legalization on local communities by examining the effects of retail marijuana stores on nearby house prices in Denver, Colorado. … Using a difference-in-differences model, we compare houses that are in close proximity to a retail conversion to those that are slightly farther away from a retail conversion before and after the legalization of recreational sales.

We find that after the law went into effect at the end of 2013, single family residences close to a retail conversion (within 0.1 miles) increased in value by approximately 8.4% relative to houses that are located slightly farther from a conversion (between 0.1 miles and 0.25 miles) in 2014 compared to the previous year.”
Contact high: The external effects of retail marijuana establishments on house prices, Real Estate Economics, 2017
• “Does legalizing retail marijuana generate more benefits than costs? This paper addresses this question by measuring the benefits and costs that are capitalized into housing values.

We exploit the time-series and cross-sectional variations in the adoption of Colorado’s municipality retail marijuana laws (RMLs) and examine the effect on housing values with a difference-in-differences strategy. Our estimates show that the legalization leads to an average 6 percent increase in housing values, indicating that the capitalized benefits outweigh the costs. … In conclusion, this paper provides convincing causal evidence that legalizing retail marijuana generates net benefits, as measured through the housing market.” The effect of legalizing retail marijuana on housing values: Evidence from Colorado, University of Mississippi working paper series, 2016
Dispensary clientele tend to be older, value access to specific strains of cannabis, and tend to require greater quantities of cannabis to treat their therapeutic condition
• “Regarding age, respondents who used dispensaries were older than those not using dispensaries, perhaps reflecting that services that these dispensaries provide, such as storefront access and personalized service, may be particularly appealing to older adults. … A larger proportion of dispensary clients considered access to their preferred strain to be important than those not using dispensaries. … With regard to cannabis use, dispensary users were more likely to use larger amounts of cannabis. … [D]ispensaries were widely used and well rated by respondents. Given this high level of endorsement by patients, future regulations should consider including storefront dispensaries as an authorized source of cannabis for therapeutic purposes.”
Are dispensaries indispensable? Patient experiences and access to cannabis from medical cannabis dispensaries in Canada. International Journal on Drug Policy, 2017 4 The prevalence of cannabis dispensaries is not positively associated with increased teen use
• “We analyzed if living in a ZIP code with a dispensary (ZCWD) was associated with adolescent cannabis use. Dispensary ZIP codes from public records were matched to selfreported ZIP codes on the Illinois Youth Survey (IYS). We compared past 30-day and pastyear cannabis use among youth living in a ZCWD and not living in a ZCWD. … Cannabis use was significantly lower among 10th and 12th graders living in a ZCWD.” Journal of Cannabis Research, Density of medical and recreational cannabis outlets: racial/ethnic differences in the association with young adult intentions to use cannabis, e-cigarattes, and cannabis mixed with tobacco/nicotine, 2021
• “This is the first study to simultaneously examine the density of both MCDs [medical cannabis dispensaries] and RCRs [recreational cannabis retailers] around young adults’ homes and associations with future intentions to use cannabis, including the co-use of cannabis with tobacco/nicotine. Our results suggest that young adults who lived in an area with a greater density of any type of outlet were not significantly more likely to report stronger intentions to use cannabis, e-cigarettes, or cannabis mixed with tobacco/nicotine in the future.”
Adolescent cannabis use among youth in zip codes with medical dispensaries, Cannabis, 2023 • “This natural-experimental study used state Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) data collected from participants in grades 9-12 from 1991 to 2015 in 46 states (N = 1,091,723).

Taking advantage of heterogeneity across states in MML [medical marijuana law] status and MML dispensary design, difference-in-difference estimates compared states with enacted MMLs/dispensaries to non-MML/dispensaries states. … This study found no evidence between 1991 and 2015 of increases in adolescents reporting past 30-day marijuana use or heavy marijuana use associated with state MML enactment or operational MML dispensaries.”
Medical marijuana laws (MMLs) and dispensary provisions not associated with higher odds of adolescent marijuana or heavy marijuana use: A 46 State Analysis, 1991-2015, Substance Abuse, 2021 • “This study sought to answer the question ‘does permitting recreational cannabis dispensaries in a community effect high school students’ cannabis use, their perceptions of the accessibility of cannabis, and their perceptions of the harmfulness and wrongfulness of using cannabis?’ A cross-sectional survey of high school students was administered in 2013, before recreational cannabis dispensaries were permitted, and the survey was administered in 2015. … The 2013 and 2015 data on student cannabis use and perceptions toward cannabis was analyzed to compare high school student use and perceptions in communities in southcentral Colorado that had permitted recreational cannabis dispensaries with high school students in those communities that had not permitted dispensaries. … Based on the 2013 and 2015 Healthy Kids Colorado Survey data, permitting recreational cannabis dispensaries in a community does not appear to change student cannabis use or perceptions towards cannabis.”
High school student cannabis use and perceptions towards cannabis in southern Colorado — Comparing communities that permit recreational dispensaries and communities that do not, Journal of Cannabis Research, 2019
5 • “The distance from school to the nearest medical marijuana dispensary was not associated with adolescents’ use of marijuana in the past month or susceptibility to use marijuana in the future, nor was the weighted count of medical marijuana dispensaries within the 3-mile band of school. Neither the product price nor the product variety in the dispensary nearest to school was associated with marijuana use or susceptibility to use. The results were robust to different specifications of medical marijuana measures.” Medical marijuana availability , price, and product variety and adolescent’s marijuana use, Journal of Adolescent Health, 2018

ADDITIONAL REFERENCES
Cannabis retailers are not selling to minors and their products are not being diverted to the underage market
• “This study addresses this need by conducting point-of-sale audits examining regulatory compliance (e.g., age verification, signage), advertising/promotional strategies, products, and pricing among 150 randomly-selected cannabis retailers in 5 US cities (30/city: Denver, Colorado; Seattle, Washington; Portland, Oregon; Las Vegas, Nevada; Los Angeles, California) in Summer 2022. … Age verification rates were high (>90%) … Mystery shoppers were required to show ID immediately upon entry at 89.9% of retailers; 2.9% asked later.” Cannabis retailer marketing strategies and regulatory compliance: A surveillance study of retailers in five US cities, Addictive Behaviors, 2023
• “To date this year, the MED [Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division] has conducted over 190 underage compliance checks utilizing underage operatives. Among underage compliance checks completed, four (4) businesses have made sales to the underage operative. This demonstrates a 98% compliance rate.”
Colorado Department of Revenue: Marijuana Enforcement Division, Industry-Wide Bulletin 22-04, August 9, 2022
• “California laws further require ID check before any purchase, and overall compliance with this rule was high at 678 RCDs [recreational cannabis dispensaries] (96.8%).” Assessment of recreational cannabis dispensaries’ compliance with underage access and marketing restrictions in California, JAMA Pediatrics, 2021
• “[P]seudo-underage patrons were sent to 50 randomly selected licensed recreational marijuana outlets in the state to see if they could enter the outlet without showing a valid identification with their age. At 100 percent of the recreational marijuana outlets visited, the pseudo-underage patrons were required to show age identification to enter. It appears that California recreational marijuana outlets avoid selling to underage customers.” An examination of the legal marijuana use age and its enforcement in California, a state where recreational marijuana is legal, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 2021 • “On December 19, 2017 OLCC [the Oregon Liquor Control Commission] marijuana inspectors visited 20 marijuana retailers in central Oregon, and all of the 20 businesses visited in Bend and La Pine passed a check for prohibiting sales to a minor volunteer. ‘That our licensed retailers in central Oregon scored 100 percent on refusal to sell marijuana to a minor is a sign that this segment of our regulated industry understands the importance of compliance,’ said Steve Marks, Executive Director of the OLCC.”
6 “OLCC Launches Marijuana Retailer Minor Decoy Checks,” Oregon Liquor and Control Board press release, December 20, 2017
• Among state-licensed Colorado retailers, “Compliance with laws restricting marijuana sales to individuals age 21 years or older with a valid ID was extremely high and possibly higher than compliance with restrictions on alcohol sales. … “The retail market at present may not be a direct source of marijuana for underage individuals.” Pseudo-Underage Assessment of Compliance With Identification Regulations at Retail Marijuana Outlets in Colorado, Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 2016 Retail cannabis access is associated with reduced opioid consumption by the general public
• “We studied county level associations between cannabis storefront dispensaries and opioid related mortality rates in the US between 2014 and 2018. Our study found that increased medical and recreational storefront dispensary counts are associated with reduced opioid related mortality rates during the study period. These associations appear particularly strong for deaths related to synthetic opioids such as fentanyl. Given the alarming rise in the fentanyl based market in the US, and the increase in deaths involving fentanyl and its analogs in recent years, the question of how legal cannabis availability relates to opioid related deaths is particularly pressing. Overall, our study contributes to understanding the supply side of related drug markets and how it shapes opioid use and misuse.” Association between county level cannabis dispensary counts and opioid related mortality rates in the United States: panel data study, BMJ, 2021
• “In this research, we have examined the effect of MML laws and the presence of active legal dispensaries on CDC age-adjusted opioid overdose death rates over the years 1999-2015.

Our results suggest that states with active legal dispensaries see a drop in opioid death rates over time. … Overall, this research provides evidence that states with MMLs may see a decline in opioid overdose death rates if they enact legal dispensaries.” Medical marijuana laws and their effect on opioid-related morality, Economics Bulletin, 2019 • “[S]tates providing legal access to marijuana through dispensaries reduce deaths due to opioid overdoses. … We provide complementary evidence that dispensary provisions lower treatment admissions for addiction to pain medications. … In short, our findings that legally protected and operating medical marijuana dispensaries reduce opioid-related harms suggests that some individuals may be substituting towards marijuana, reducing the quantity of opioids they consume or forgoing initiation of opiates altogether. … At a minimum, however, our results suggest a potential overlooked positive effect of medical marijuana laws that support meaningful retail sales.”
Letters

RESEARCH LETTER
Recreational Marijuana Laws and Teen
Marijuana Use, 1993-2021
As of March 2024, 24 states have legalized recreational marijuana for individuals aged 21 years and older. As support for legalization increases, concerns remain that it will encourage youthmarijuana use.

Youthmarijuana use has been
associated with adverse health outcomes and poorer academic performance.1 Usingdata from theYouthRiskBehavior Surveys (YRBS) and
the interaction-weighted estimator, which allows for heterogeneous and dynamic treatment effects,2 this study provides updated estimates of the association between recreational marijuana laws (RMLs) and youth marijuana use.

Methods | For this repeated cross-sectional study, ethical review was not required because analyses of deidentified, secondary data are considered exempt by the San Diego State University institutional review board. This research adhered to the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) reporting guideline.

Weighted national and state YRBS data for the period 1993 to 2021 were analyzed separately. Pooling national and state YRBS data is not recommended because underlying personlevel weights are different.3 While there is some overlap, the state-year coverage across the surveys is generally different.4 Legalization dates were collected from Anderson and
Rees.5Currentmarijuana use was defined as any use in the past 30 days, and frequentmarijuana use was defined as use at least 10 times in the past 30 days.

To our knowledge,more policy variationwas captured than in any prior study on RMLs and youth marijuana use. In the national YRBS, data pre- and post-RML adoptionwere available for 12 states; 9 states contributed data before and after dispensary sales began; data from 36 non-RML states were included. In the state YRBS, data pre- and post-RML adoption were available for 16 states;8 statescontributeddatabefore and afterdispensary salesbegan;data from 31non-RML stateswere included.Weused multivariate logistic regression analysis and separately called on the interaction-weighted estimator, which allows for heterogeneous anddynamic treatment effects.2 If the effectsofRMLswere heterogeneous and dynamic, then estimates from traditional methods could, in theory, be biased.6 All models were adjusted for individual- and state-level characteristics and state and surveywave indicators.Racewas self-reported in theYRBS and categorized as American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, or White. Ethnicity was self-reported as Hispanic or nonHispanic.We used 2-sided hypothesis tests, and estimateswere considered significant atP < .05. Analyseswere conductedwith Stata version 17.1 (StataCorp) from July to December 2023.

Results | Among 207 781 national YRBS respondents (mean [SD] age, 16.04 [1.23] years; 50.90%male), 13.35% were Black or Afri can American, 17.09% were Hispanic, and 60.13% were nonSupplemental content Table. Estimates of the Association of Recreational Marijuana Legalization and Teen Marijuana Use, 1993-2021a Variable
Marijuana use (logistic estimates)
Marijuana use [interaction-weighted
estimates], ME (95% CI)b
Current Frequent
OR (95% CI) ME (95% CI) OR (95% CI) ME (95% CI) Current Frequent National YRBS (n = 207 781)c 0.97 (0.85 to

1.10)
−0.006 (−0.027 to

0.016)

0.98 (0.83 to

1.16)
−0.001 (−0.015 to

0.012)
−0.007 (−0.028 to

0.014)
−0.001 (−0.014 to

0.012)
State YRBS (n = 1 549 075)c 0.94 (0.88 to

1.00)
−0.010 (−0.020 to

0.0001)

0.90 (0.81 to

1.01)
−0.007 (−0.015 to

0.001)
−0.014 (−0.024 to
−0.005)e
−0.009 (−0.015 to
−0.003)e
National YRBS, replacing RML
with RML sales allowed
(n = 207 781)d

1.00 (0.87 to

1.16)

0.001 (−0.011 to

0.028)

1.11 (0.87 to

1.42)

0.009 (−0.011 to

0.028)
−0.003 (−0.023 to

0.018)

0.009 (−0.005 to

0.022)
State YRBS, replacing RML
with RML sales allowed
(n = 1 549 075)d

0.87 (0.78 to

0.96)e
−0.022 (−0.039 to
−0.006)e

0.98 (0.87 to

1.10)
−0.002 (−0.010 to

0.007)
−0.026 (−0.039 to
−0.014)e
−0.005 (−0.012 to

0.002)
Abbreviations: ME, marginal effects; OR, odds ratio; RML, recreational marijuana laws; YRBS, Youth Risk Behavior Survey.
a Weighted estimates are based on biennial data from the YRBS (1993-2021).

For the logistic regression models, estimated ORs and MEs of current marijuana use (ie, any use in the past 30 days) and frequent marijuana use (ie, use 10 times in the past 30 days) are reported. For the interaction-weighted models, estimated MEs of current marijuana use and frequent marijuana use are reported. Estimates were adjusted for individual-level characteristics (age, sex, grade, and race), whether marijuana use and possession were decriminalized in the respondent’s state, whether medical marijuana was legalized in the respondent’s state, the presence of a state-level 0.08 blood alcohol concentration law, the state beer tax, state income per capita, state unemployment rate, state indicators, and survey-wave (ie, year) indicators.

Standard errors, which were used to construct the 95% CIs, were corrected for clustering at the state level.
bControl states were limited to those that never adopted an RML (but could have adopted a medical marijuana law), as required by the interactionweighted estimator. c RML is equal to 1 if a state recreational marijuana law was in effect and is equal to 0 otherwise.
dRML sales allowed is equal to 1 if state recreational marijuana sales had begun and is equal to 0 otherwise.
e Statistically significant (P < .05).
jamapsychiatry.com (Reprinted) JAMA Psychiatry Published online April 24, 2024 E1 © 2024 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.

Downloaded from jamanetwork.com by Ben Rice on 05/08/2024 Hispanic White. Among 1 549 075 state YRBS respondents
(mean [SD] age, 16.01 [1.23] years; 50.20% male), 16.53% were Black or African American, 17.78% were Hispanic, and 58.09% were non-Hispanic White.

Based on the national YRBS, RML adoption was not associated with current marijuana use (odds ratio, 0.97; 95% CI,

0.85-1.10) or frequent marijuana use (odds ratio, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.83-1.16) (Table). Estimates based on the state YRBS and estimates of the association between the first dispensary opening and marijuana use were qualitatively similar (Table). Interaction-weighted estimates were similar to their logistic regression counterparts (Table).

Based on the national YRBS and using lead and lag indicators in place of the RML indicators, there was no association between RMLs and marijuana use during the prelegalization period (Figure), suggesting the parallel-trends assumption held. After legalization, there was no evidence of an increase in marijuana use.

Discussion | In this repeated cross-sectional study, there was no evidence that RMLs were associated with encouraging youth marijuana use, based on both the logistic regression and interaction-weightedmodels.One limitationof thisstudy is thatyouth who dropped out of high school are absent from the YRBS, and these individuals may be vulnerable to increased marijuana access. Going forward, researchers will want to update our estimates as additional posttreatment data become available and more states legalize marijuana for recreational purposes.

D. Mark Anderson, PhD
Hao T. Fe, PhD
Yang Liang, PhD
Joseph J. Sabia, PhD
Author Affiliations: Department of Agricultural Economics and Economics, Montana State University, Bozeman (Anderson); Department of Economics, San Diego State University, San Diego, California (Fe); Center for Health Economics and Policy Studies, San Diego State University, San Diego, California (Liang, Sabia).

Accepted for Publication: February 22, 2024.

Published Online: April 24, 2024. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2024.0698 Corresponding Author: D. Mark Anderson, PhD, Department of Agricultural Economics and Economics, Montana State University, PO Box 172920, Bozeman, MT 59717-2920 ([email protected]).

Author Contributions: Dr Sabia had full access to all of the data in the study and takes responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis.

Concept and design: Anderson, Liang, Sabia.

Acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data: All authors.

Drafting of the manuscript: Anderson, Sabia.

Critical review of the manuscript for important intellectual content: All authors.

Statistical analysis: Liang.

Obtained funding: Sabia.

Administrative, technical, or material support: Liang, Sabia.

Supervision: Anderson, Sabia.

Conflict of Interest Disclosures: Dr Sabia reported receiving grants from University of Missouri and grants from Troesh Family Foundation outside the submitted work. No other disclosures were reported.

Funding/Support: Dr Sabia acknowledges partial support from the Center for Health Economics & Policy Studies at San Diego State University, including grant funding received from the Charles Koch Foundation.

Role of the Funder/Sponsor: The funders had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript; and decision to submit the manuscript for publication.

Disclaimer: The content is solely the responsibility of the authors.

Data Sharing Statement: See the Supplement.

1. Ammerman S, Ryan S, Adelman WP, et al; Committee on Substance Abuse, Committee on Adolescence; Committee on Substance Abuse Committee on Adolescence. The impact of marijuana policies on youth: clinical, research, and legal update. Pediatrics. 2015;135(3):584-587. doi:10.1542/peds.2014-4147

2. Sun L, Abraham S. Estimating dynamic treatment effects in event studies with heterogeneous treatment effects.J Econom. 2021;225(2):175-199. doi:10. 1016/j.jeconom.2020.09.006

3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Combining YRBS data across years and sites. Accessed November 27, 2023. https://www.cdc.gov/ healthyyouth/data/yrbs/pdf/yrbs_combining_data.pdf

4. Anderson DM, Hansen B, Rees DI. Medical marijuana laws and teen marijuana use. Am Law Econ Rev. 2015;17(2):495-528. doi:10.1093/aler/ahv002

5. Anderson DM, Rees DI. The public health effects of legalizing marijuana.

J Econ Lit. 2023;61(1):86-143. doi:10.1257/jel.20211635

6. Baker AC, Larcker DF, Wang CCY. How much should we trust staggered difference-in-differences estimates? J Financ Econ. 2022;144(2):370-395. doi:10.1016/j.jfineco.2022.01.004
Figure. Event Study Analysis

0.20 0.15
–0.15

0.10 –0.10

0.05 –0.05
0 –0.20
Marginal effect of RML on
marijuana use (95% CI)
Survey waves enacted since RML adoption, No.

Pre- and post-RML trends in current marijuana use
(logistic estimates)
A
≤3 –2 –1 0 1 2 ≥3

0.20 0.15
–0.15

0.10 –0.10

0.05 –0.05
0 –0.20
Marginal effect of RML on
marijuana use (95% CI)
Survey waves enacted since RML adoption, No.

Pre- and post-RML trends in current marijuana use
(interaction-weighted estimates)
B
≤3 –2 –1 0 1 2 ≥3
RML indicates recreational marijuana law.

Downloaded from jamanetwork.com by Ben Rice on 05/08/2024 Study: Frequent Cannabis Use Not
Linked to Motivation Loss
• BY NORML
• POSTED ON APRIL 30, 2024
Those who regularly consume cannabis do not exhibit so-called ‘amotivational syndrome,” even when they are acutely under the influence, according to data published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science.

Researchers affiliated with the University of Toronto assessed a cohort of 260 frequent cannabis consumers five times per day over a seven-day period. Investigators assessed subjects’ motivation and willingness to push themselves during times when they were under the influence and when they were not.

They reported: “In contrast to the stereotype of the stoned slacker who is apathetic and unmotivated, we found little evidence for an association between being high and a lack of motivation among cannabis users. … When frequent cannabis users get high, in other words, they are no more apathetic, nor less extrinsically or intrinsically motivated to pursue their goals. … We also failed to find any next-day emotional effects.” Commenting on the study’s findings, its lead author stated: “There is a stereotype that chronic cannabis users are somehow lazy or unproductive. We found that’s not the case. … Our data suggests that you can be hard-working, motivated and a chronic cannabis user at the same time.”
Other recent studies assessing cannabis use and motivation have reached similar conclusions. For instance, a 2022 study determined that college-age students who used cannabis were more likely to engage in effort-related decision making tasks than were nonusers. Another study concluded that the use of cannabis is not independently predictive of significant changes in adolescents’ motivation, apathy, or engagement.

NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano said: “These findings, and others, refute hypothesized associations between cannabis use and low motivation. It is unfortunate that many of these longstanding stereotypes have historically guided public health messaging about cannabis and have also been used to stigmatize and discriminate against those who consume it responsibly.”
The full text of the study, Chronic cannabis use in everyday life: Emotional, motivational, and selfregulatory effects of frequently getting high,” appears online.

JAMA Psychiatry: “No Evidence” That
Marijuana Legalization Laws Encourage
Youth Use • BY NORML
• POSTED ON APRIL 26, 2024
Neither the passage of adult-use marijuana legalization laws nor the advent of retail cannabis sales is associated with increased marijuana use by adolescents, according to data published this week in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) Psychiatry.

Researchers from Montana State University and San Diego State University assessed the relationship between state-level marijuana legalization laws and youth marijuana use over 28 years (1993-2021).

Consistent with prior analyses, researchers determined, “There was no evidence that RML [recreational marijuana laws] were associated with encouraging youth marijuana use.” Commenting on the data, NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano said, “These findings should reassure lawmakers and the public that cannabis access for adults can be legally regulated in a manner that is safe, effective, and that does not negatively impact young people’s consumption habits.”
He added: “Data provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds that the percentage of high schoolers who report using marijuana has fallen 30 percent over the past decade. Further, compliance check data from California, Colorado, Nevada, and other legal marijuana states show that licensed marijuana retailers do not sell products to underage patrons.”
Last week, a study published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics reported that state-licensed cannabis sales are associated with modest decreases in teens use of alcohol and ecigarettes.

Full text of the study, “Recreational marijuana laws and teen marijuana use, 1993- 2021,” appears in JAMA Psychiatry. Additional information is available from the NORML Fact Sheet, ‘Marijuana Regulation and Teen Use Rates.’
Article
Social Psychological and
Personality Science
1–12
The Author(s) 2024
Article reuse guidelines:
sagepub.com/journals-permissions
DOI: 10.1177/19485506241245744
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Chronic Cannabis Use in Everyday Life:

Emotional, Motivational, and
Self-Regulatory Effects of Frequently
Getting High
Michael Inzlicht1 , Taylor Bridget Sparrow-Mungal1,2,
and Gregory John Depow1
Abstract
Approximately 200 million people consume cannabis annually, with a significant proportion of them using it chronically. Using experience sampling, we describe the effects of chronically getting high on emotions, motivation, effort, and self-regulation in everyday life. We queried chronic users (N = 260) 5 times per day over 7 days (3,701 observations) to assess immediate effects of getting high and longer term, between-person effects. Getting high was associated with more positive emotions and fewer negative emotions. Contrary to stereotypes, we observed minimal effects on motivation or objective effort willingness.

However, getting high was associated with lower scores on facets of conscientiousness. Surprisingly, there was no evidence of a weed hangover. Relative to less frequent users, very frequent users exhibited more negative emotions dispositionally, but they were more motivated. They also reported less self-control and willpower. As attitudes about cannabis are changing, our findings provide a rich description of its chronic use.

Keywords
cannabis, emotions, motivation, effort, self-regulation, conscientiousness Introduction
People like to get high. With nearly 200 million people worldwide having used cannabis in the past year, cannabis is the fourth most used recreational drug after caffeine, alcohol and tobacco (United Nations, 2020). Despite its wide use and increasing legal and societal acceptance, surprisingly little is known about its effects among habitual users in everyday life. Instead, research on cannabis tends to treat it as a drug of abuse, focused mostly on the health risks of overuse and dependence. Here, we focus on what is missing, describing the everyday experience of getting high among habitual users, examining reasons they get high, its possible salutary emotional effects, and its surprising lack of costs to motivation and industriousness.

The Chronic
People have been getting high for millennia: First cultivated in the Neolithic period 12,000 years ago, written records of humans using cannabis for its mind-altering
properties date back to 2,800 BC in Dynastic China (Abel, 1980). Today, jurisdictions in Canada, Uruguay, Thailand, and 24 U.S. States have legalized cannabis for recreational use and retail sale; and cannabis has been decriminalized even more widely. According to the U.S. data, 18% of
Americans used cannabis at least once in 2019 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2021). In Canada, where cannabis is fully legal, 25% of Canadians used cannabis at least once in 2021, with 35% of those ingesting 3 or more times per week (Statistics Canada, 2021). Habitual use of cannabis is thus common, accounting for about 9% of
Canadian adults.

Despite popular stereotypes of the lazy stoner depicting chronic cannabis users as low-achieving ne’er-do-wells, chronic users come from all walks of life. While there are demographic differences between chronic users and
nonusers—for example, chronic use is higher among men,
younger people, Black, Latino, and Indigenous populations, and the unmarried (Jeffers et al., 2021)—most chronic users are employed, conscientious, and have stable 1 University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
2 Osgoode Hall Law School, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Corresponding Author:

Michael Inzlicht, Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M1C 1A4.

Email: [email protected]
incomes (Hart, 2022; Jeffers et al., 2021). Recreational cannabis use in places where it is legal is now normalized and widely accepted: users are perceived as diverse and indistinguishable from nonusers; and cannabis is recognized to have benefits and harms (Kilwein et al., 2022).

But even with this broad destigmatization, much
research treats cannabis as a medical problem involving substantial risk. These hypothesized risks include structural and functional changes to the brain’s reward network
(Volkow et al., 2017), personality change (Winters et al., 2022), and so-called amotivational syndrome (PachecoColo´n et al., 2018). This work, however, typically yields mixed results especially among adult users. For example, studies suggest that regular cannabis users are both less (Winters et al., 2022) and more agreeable (Vigil et al., 2022); while other studies suggest that chronic users have both low (Looby & Earleywine, 2007) and normal levels of motivation (Skumlien et al., 2023). We cannot help but
wonder if one of the reasons for these mixed results is the implied goal of this research: to reduce use. Here, we start with the premise that cannabis is widely used for recreational purposes and that it might yield both positive and negative effects.

Emotions, Motivation, and Self-Regulation
To understand what drives chronic users to get high, we start by exploring phenomenology, looking at how cannabis intoxication makes people feel. Given the high prevalence of cannabis use, including chronic use, we should expect that getting high feels good for many people.

However, aside from passing mentions of euphoria, scholarly descriptions of cannabis intoxication are dominated by negative symptoms including anxiety, paranoia, social withdrawal, and dysphoria (American Psychiatric
Association, 2013). Chronic users get high for a reason, and we suspect it’s because it is positively reinforcing, making many, if not all, people feel good (Sznitman
et al., 2022). Moving beyond good or bad moods, here
we wonder how cannabis changes people’s discrete emotions (Fredrickson, 2009)—for example, awe, gratitude, and love. By appreciating the emotional profile of frequent cannabis intoxication, we might better understand what drives use and possibly identity novel applications for cannabis, say in therapeutic contexts (Earleywine
et al., 2022).

We next explore how cannabis intoxication affects motivation. Despite long-standing stereotypes depicting chronic users as lazy and unmotivated, the literature presents a messy picture. While numerous studies suggest that chronic use is associated with apathy and low motivation (PachecoColo´n et al., 2018), many of these associations disappear once analyses control for influential third variables like personality, depression, and alcohol use (Petrucci et al., 2020).

Some studies find no relationship between chronic cannabis use on one hand and apathy and objective effort willingness on the other hand (Skumlien et al., 2023). Remarkably,
other studies suggest that chronic users are more—not
less—motivated, when motivation is assessed via objective behavioral tasks and not simply subjective self-report (Vele et al., 2022). Motivation is a multidimensional construct with important sources of variability accounted by the
source and quality of motivation (Ryan & Deci, 2000).

Thus, while cannabis intoxication might not undermine
motivation globally, it might affect specific sources of motivation.

We can’t help but wonder if some of this lack of clarity is due to the conflation of motivation with self-regulation—perhaps getting high does not impact drive or a willingness to work but instead undermines people’s ability to regulate themselves. Self-regulation is the dynamic process of determining what goals to pursue and then steering
behavior toward those goals (Inzlicht et al., 2021), and at the trait level is associated with conscientiousness and (lack of) impulsivity (Roberts et al., 2014). At the state level, there is good reason to believe that cannabis intoxication can undermine the regulation of goal pursuit. While not affecting all executive functions uniformly, lab studies consistently indicate that being high impairs planning and decision-making and increases risk-taking and impulsivity (Crean et al., 2011). Whether, and to what extent, cannabis intoxication among chronic users undermines selfregulation in the real world is unknown.

Current Study
Here, we use experience sampling to understand the effects of getting high among chronic users going about their
everyday lives. Here, we repeatedly probe whether chronic cannabis users are high (or not) and then examine whether within-person changes in cannabis intoxication are related to discrete emotions and specific states of motivation and self-regulation (see Figure 1). We also examine how
between-person differences in how frequently chronic users get high relate to dispositional differences. While our approach relies on self-report, retrospective biases are limited given that participants are asked about what they are experiencing in that very moment. Furthermore, we move
beyond self-report by examining participants’ objective willingness to exert mental effort. Finally, because this approach examines changes within a person—asking, for
example, how willing a person is to exert effort when they are high compared with when they are not high—it controls for nuisance third variable problems and thus allows for better approximations of causal claims (Rohrer &
Murayama, 2023). Despite these strengths, a major limitation is that our sample was selected for being both chronic cannabis users and users willing to participate in a timeconsuming longitudinal study. Our results, therefore, might not generalize to broader populations.
2 Social Psychological and Personality Science 00(0)
Methods
Participants and Procedure
Participants were recruited from Reddit, an online discussion board with many sub-communities or ‘‘subreddits’’ focused on specific interests. Participants were considered eligible if they were over 21, resided in the United States or Canada, and used cannabis at least 3 times a week for
recreational but not medical purposes. Participants completed the 30-minute baseline survey and an experience sampling period where they were sent brief surveys 5 times a day, between the hours of 10 a.m. and 11 p.m., for 1
week (see Figure 1).1
In total, our final sample contains 260 participants who completed both the baseline questionnaire and at least one experience sampling survey, resulting in a sample of n = 3,701 surveys (see Figure 2 for a histogram of experience sampling response rates) taken from the daily lives of
chronic cannabis users. A sensitivity analysis suggests that with 260 participants and an average of about 15 observations per person, we have 80% power to detect withinperson effects as small as r = .08 and between-person effects as small as r = .17. This study was not preregistered. All materials and data are available here: https://osf. io/xtzfs/?view_only=93a237aca68543a0a3f0cd53a2138986.

Baseline Survey. As part of the baseline, we administered a frequency of cannabis use measure (Cuttler & Spradlin,
2017), as well as measures of individual differences (see Table S1a in Supplemental Materials for a complete list of baseline measures). Included in this was the 50-item
International Personality Item Pool five-factor model as a Big 5 measure of personality (Ehrhart et al., 2008).

Participants in our sample were fairly similar to data from N = 10,019 online respondents (ipip.ori.org means shown in brackets) in terms of Conscientiousness, M = 3.4, SD = 0.61 (3.38), Extraversion, M = 3, SD = 0.67 (3.05),
and Neuroticism, M = 3.2, SD = 0.7 (2.98)—but were
slightly lower with regard to Openness, M = 3.7, SD = 0. 56 (4.05), and Agreeableness, M = 3.5, SD = 0.59 (3.84).

We also administered a modified version of the cognitive effort discounting paradigm (Westbrook et al., 2013), both at baseline and during each experience sampling survey (see Figure 3). In our version of the task, participants made a series of 7 choices about which of two tasks to perform: an easy number-sorting task for little compensation or a harder number-sorting task for more compensation
(Cuevas Rivera et al., 2020). We calculated effort discounting by taking the value of the final decision and subtracting it from 200; this corresponds to the number of tickets participants are willing to forego to do the easier task. At baseline, our participants were willing to forego an average of

64.21 lottery tickets (SD = 85.05) to avoid doing the more effortful version of the number-ordering task.

Experience Sampling. To get a representative sample of people’s experience, the experience sampling surveys were sent 5 times a day for 7 days between 10 a.m. and 11 p.m. at random times with an interval of at least 2 hours between surveys (see Table S1b in Supplemental Materials for a
complete list of measures used in experience sampling).

The surveys were sent via text message with SurveySignal (Hofmann & Patel, 2015) and distributed via Qualtrics.

Participants had up to 30 minutes to answer the survey
before the link expired. In these surveys, participants were asked if they currently felt high (yes/no). Participants who indicated that they were not currently high were provided with filler questions about cannabis craving so that the Figure 1. Flowchart of Procedure
Note. Many participants learned about the study in the eligibility survey, but most were not interested or ineligible. For the baseline, 285 completed a survey, but only 260 participants completed at least one experience-sampling survey. In the experience-sampling surveys, we matched 3,701 individual surveys to their respective baseline surveys. We trimmed surveys fewer than 60 minutes apart. Thus, our final sample included 3,701 observations from the daily lives of 260 recreational cannabis users.

Inzlicht et al. 3
survey would have the same length had they reported being high. If participants reported feeling high, we asked them how they ingested (smoking, vaping, edible, or other) and to select all the reasons they got high by checking one or more reasons why they used cannabis (e.g., because I liked the feeling, to forget my worries), which was a measure we adapted from the Marijuana Motives Measure (Benschop
et al., 2015). Next, we measured our main dependent
variables.

Emotions. To assess current emotional experiences, we
administered the modified Differential Emotions Scale
(Fredrickson, 2009). This scale assesses the extent to which participants felt 20 specific emotions (10 positive and 10 negative) at the current moment on a scale from 1 (not at all) to 5 (very much). The 10 positive emotions included awe, contentedness, and gratitude; the 10 negative emotions included anger, disgust, and embarrassment.

Motivation. We next assessed participants’ current levels of motivation using a self-determination theory lens to classify different types of motivation (Ryan & Deci, 2000).

According to self-determination theory, the quality of
motivation—and not just quantity—varies and ranges from amotivation (lack of caring), external motivation (being motivated by external demand or reward), introjected motivation (internalized motivation, yet driven by guilt and obligation), and identified motivation (autonomous and
personally important). Participants read a single item for each motivation type, taken from a global motivation scale (Guay et al., 2003), and then rated their agreement ‘‘right now’’ with each statement on a 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 7 (Strongly Agree) Likert-type scale. In each experience sampling survey participants also completed the same effort discounting task as in the baseline survey (Westbrook
et al., 2013).

Conscientiousness. To assess broad self-regulatory capacity, each experience sampling survey included state measures of willpower and conscientiousness. To assess the current level of willpower, we administered a brief five-item version of the State Self-control Capacity Scale (Lindner et al., 2019). This scale assesses participants’ current levels of energy and focus, with statements like ‘‘Right now, I feel sharp and focused.’’ Participants rated how much they
agree with each statement on a scale from 1 (not true) to 7 Figure 2. Histogram of Experience Sampling Surveys Completed by Each Participant Note. To be included in our analysis, participants needed to complete the baseline survey and at least one experience sampling survey. As a result of our decision to include as much data as possible, experience sampling response rates vary widely; while participants completed on average 15.23 surveys each, there was substantial heterogeneity in response rates, SD = 9.86, with the modal participant completing only two surveys.
4 Social Psychological and Personality Science 00(0)
(very true). We also assessed current levels of the
six different facets of conscientiousness taken from
the Chernyshenko Conscientiousness Scale (Green et al., 2016): self-control (thoughtful and deliberate), orderliness (organized), industriousness (hard working), traditionalism (rule-following), responsibility (keeping promises), and Figure 3. Effort Discounting Procedure
Note. We manipulated effort via number-ordering, where participants chose between an easier or harder number-ordering task. At the start of each trial, participants chose between ordering one-digit numbers for little compensation or four-digit numbers for more compensation.

Compensation consisted of a variable number of lottery tickets that would be entered into a draw to win an actual iPad (~US$429 value).

On the initial choice, participants were offered 100 lottery tickets for the easy option or 200 tickets for the hard option. After making their choice, participants then completed a single trial corresponding to their choice. Participants made a total of seven choices, with the value of the high effort option always being 200 tickets, but with the value of the low effort option varying via a staircasing procedure to determine the point of indifference for each participant. We calculated effort discounting by taking that final subjective value amount and subtracting it from 200; this corresponds to the number of tickets participants are willing to forego to do the easier task.

Inzlicht et al. 5
virtue (honesty). These facet scales were shortened (2–3 items per facet) and modified to reflect current states.

Participants rate how much they agreed ‘‘right now’’ with various statements on a 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 5
(Strongly Agree) Likert-type scale.

Analysis
Given the nested nature of our data (surveys nested within days, nested within people) we used a multilevel approach in our analysis, including a random intercept for participant and day in each model. Data were analyzed in R using the lmer and glmer functions from the lme4 (Bates et al., 2015) and lmerTest packages (Kuznetsova et al., 2017). For continuous measures, we used linear mixed effects models fit by restricted maximum likelihood, calculating t-tests via Satterthwaite’s method. Within-subject B estimates indicate the change in Y associated with a 1-unit change in X (i.e., being high vs. not being high); whereas between-subject B estimates show the change in Y associated with people 1 standard deviation above the mean of X (i.e., being high on 96% of experience samples) versus those 1 standard deviation below the mean of X (i.e., being high on 32% of experience samples).

In our models, we assessed both between and withinsubject sources of variance by including both participantcentered (for continuous measures) and grand-mean centered versions of our fixed-effect predictors in the model. We also included time minus 1 version of each
fixed-effect predictor, as well as the time minus 1 version of the variable being predicted, to control for prior levels of both the dependent and independent variables in the
model, and to test for lagged effects of cannabis use:

Y =XGrandMeanCentered + XParticipantMeanCentered
+ XParticipantCenteredTminus1 + YTminus1
+ ðÞ 1jParticipant +(1jParticipant: Day):

Using this modeling approach, we can partial out betweenand within-subject sources of variance. We care mostly about within-subject variance, as this examines state
changes within a person, keeping all between-person variables constant (e.g., what is the emotional profile of being high vs not being high). But we also examine betweenperson variance, which addresses differences between people (e.g., what is the emotional profile of people who use cannabis daily versus weekly). Note, however, that our
study cannot compare cannabis users to nonusers, but
instead compares very frequent users to less frequent, but still regular users. Critically, we control for prior levels of the predicted variable, thereby allowing us to distill
changes in that variable since the last survey (e.g., being high leads to an increase in awe relative to previous levels of awe). Similarly, we control for prior levels of the predictor variable to control for any possible carryover effects from the last survey (e.g., being high now relates to an increase in awe controlling for previous states of cannabis intoxication).

We predicted each variable in a separate model, correcting p-values for each fixed-effect term grouped by a specific research question. Specifically, the p-values for differential emotions were corrected together, as were motivation and effort measures, and conscientiousness and willpower measures. We followed the Benjamini and Hochberg (1995) procedure to control the false discovery rate. To calculate effect sizes, we used a validated effect-size r for fixed effects in multilevel models derived from R2 (Edwards et al., 2008). This approach has previously been used in the literature for effect sizes in a multilevel modeling context (Depow et al., 2022).

We did not collect a sample of representative cannabis
users. Instead, ours was a convenience sample of frequent cannabis users who self-selected into a weeklong experience sampling study. Even though our baseline measurements suggest that our participants were not especially conscientious, they might be particularly conscientious for chronic cannabis users, who tend to be low in conscientiousness (Winters et al., 2022). This means that our results might not generalize to the broader population of cannabis users, where associations could differ (e.g., Berkson’s Paradox; Rohrer, 2018).

Results
Sample Demographics
In line with patterns of use (Jeffers et al., 2021), our sample was primarily male (76% male); primarily young (M =

27.98, SD = 4.70); majority White (56%) but with a large Black subgroup (38%), and with smaller number of East
Asian (1%), South Asian (1%), Bi-racial (3%), and other (\1%) participants. Participants in our sample were from the United States (65%) and Canada (35%). As part of the baseline, we administered a frequency of use measure (Cuttler & Spradlin, 2017), which revealed that on average our participants used cannabis a little more than 5–6 times a week.

Frequency and Reasons for Cannabis Use
Overall, participants reported feeling high in 64% of the surveys (see Figure 4A). Participants ingested cannabis through several modes, with smoking (54%), vaping (22%), and eating (21%) particularly common. When participants reported feeling high, we next asked them why. Participants used cannabis for many different reasons, and often for a combination of reasons (see Figure 4B). Overall, participants claimed liking the feeling as the main reason driving use, but the ability to be creative and to forget one’s worries were also endorsed frequently. Surprising to us, many people also reported using cannabis to help them focus and concentrate.

Cannabis Use and Emotions
Feeling High in the Moment. When regular cannabis users are high,2 they report feeling less fearful and less stressed 6 Social Psychological and Personality Science 00(0)
compared with when they are not high (see Figure 5A).

More dramatic is how being high increases positive emotions across the board (see Figure 5B). Relative to when habitual cannabis users are not high, being high increases all positive emotion, notably awe, silliness, happiness, and inspiration (see Table S2 in Supplemental Materials for full statistics). While effect sizes were modest in size, they ranged from r = .21 for awe to r = .11 for love. Note that all effects above and throughout are reported as statistically significant after correction for multiple comparisons.

People Who Get High Very Frequently. Our data allow us to also describe the emotional profile of very frequent users relative to less frequent (but sill frequent) ones. Here, the emotional picture looks much less positive. Compared with those who get high less frequently, people who get high very frequently report greater negative emotions across the board, for example, feeling more disgust, scorn, fear, and embarrassment (see Table S3 in Supplemental Materials).

All these were medium-to-large effect sizes ranging from r = .28 to r =.39. Note that everyone in our sample was a chronic user, meaning that our between-person comparisons are comparing people who are high often (i.e., high on 32% of experience samples, high 4–6 times per week) to people who are high exceptionally often (i.e., high on 96% of experience samples, high multiple times per day).

Cannabis Use, Motivation, and Effort
Feeling High in the Moment. In contrast to the stereotype of the stoned slacker who is apathetic and unmotivated, we found little evidence for an association between being high and a lack of motivation among cannabis users (see
Figure 6A). Results indicate that being high was not associated with any facet of motivation, save for introjected motivation, which had a very small (r = .05) negative effect, b = 20.17, SE = 0.06, t(2,926) = 22.79, adj. p = .027 (see Table S4 in Supplemental Materials for full statistics).

When frequent cannabis users get high, in other words, they are no more apathetic, nor less extrinsically or intrinsically motivated to pursue their goals. They are, however, slightly less motivated to do things when they are high because they would be upset with themselves if they did not do them.

Beyond self-reported motivation, we found little evidence that being high was related to people’s willingness to exert actual mental effort. Specifically, chronic cannabis users discount mental effort—voluntarily foregoing lottery tickets to do the easier instead of harder number-sorting task—at about the same rate when they are high,
M = 76.90 (SE = 5.09), compared with when they are not
high, M = 57.10 (SE = 6.32) (see Figure 6C). Whereas being high was associated with less motivation to do things out of guilt for chronic users, it had no impact on their broader motivation, including feelings of amotivation, and it had no impact on their actual willingness to exert mental effort.

People Who Get High Very Frequently. Again, countering the stereotype of the lazy stoner, people who get high multiple times per day are not less motivated than those who get high multiple times per week (see Figure 6B). In fact, in some instances, they are more motivated. Compared with
those who get high less frequently, people who get high Figure 4. Frequency of Cannabis Use, Mode of Use, and Reasons for Use. (A) Participants Were High 64% of the Time; and They Got High by Smoking Cannabis Flower (54%), Vaping Dried Flower or Cannabis Concentrates (22%), or Eating Cannabis Edibles (21%). (B) In Total, Participants Gave 5,847 Reasons for Ingesting Cannabis, Which Comes Out to 2.48 Reasons Per Time They Got High. The Most Frequent Reasons for Use Were Because Participants Liked the Feeling (22%), Because It Helped Them Feel Creative and Perceive Things Differently (17%), to Forget About Worries (17%), and to Help Concentrate (16%)
Inzlicht et al. 7
Figure 5. Within-Person and Between-Person Effects of Feeling High on Discrete Emotions (A) Within-Person Effects (B and Standard Errors) Indicate That Cannabis Intoxication Is Associated With an Increase in All Positive Emotions and a Slight Decrease in Stress and Fear, With Modest Effect Sizes Ranging From r =.21 to r =.09. (B) Between-Person Effects (B and Standard Errors), in Contrast, Indicate That People Who GET High Very Frequently (96% of the Time) Have Higher Trait Levels of All Negative Emotions Compared With Those Who Get High Relatively Less Frequently (32% of the Time) Figure 6. Within-Person and Between-Person Effects of Feeling High on Motivation (A) Within-Person Effects (B and Standard Errors) Indicate That Getting High Undermines Introjected Motivation but Leaves Every Other Facet of Motivation Intact. (B) Between-Person Effects (B and Standard Errors) Indicate That People Who Get High Frequently (High 96% of Time) Have Higher Levels of Both External and Introjected Motivation Relative to Those Who Get High Relatively Less Frequently (High 32% of Time). (C) Predicted Effort Discounting ( 6 SE) Indicates no Difference in the Number of Lottery Tickets a Person Is Willing to Forego to Do the Easier Versus Harder Task When They Are High or Not 8 Social Psychological and Personality Science 00(0)
exceptionally often have higher levels of external and introjected motivation, though these effects are small, r between .13 and .15, see Table S4 in Supplemental Materials. Very frequent users, that is, are more motivated than less frequent users to complete things to obtain rewards and social approval and to avoid feeling guilty. Frequently getting high was not linked with amotivation or integrated motivation, nor was it predictive of willingness to exert actual mental effort.

Cannabis Use and Conscientiousness
Feeling High in the Moment. In contrast to our motivation findings, we found robust evidence that cannabis intoxication was negatively related to certain aspects of conscientiousness (see Figure 7A). While getting high did not impact chronic users’ momentary reports of willpower,
responsibility, and industriousness, it did hurt numerous other aspects of momentary conscientiousness. When
chronic users get high, they report being more impulsive (lower self-control), less organized and neat (orderliness), more willing to lie to get their way (lower virtue), and less willing to follow societal rules (traditionalism). All effect sizes are small, ranging from r = .10 to r = .16 (see Table S5 in Supplemental Materials for full statistics). Thus, chronic users are somewhat less conscientious when they get high, even as they remain focused, responsible, and industrious.

People Who Get High Very Frequently. The between-person effects on self-regulation more-or-less mirror the withinperson effects. People who get high multiple times per day report being lower in self-control, virtue, orderliness, and willpower than those who get high relatively less frequently.

They are no different from less frequent users in terms of responsibility, industriousness, and traditionalism, however (see Figure 7B). All effects are small, rs between .13 and .20, except for the effect on self-control that is large in size, r = .34 (see Table S5 in Supplemental Materials).

What Weed Hangover?
Anecdotally, some users report feeling different the day after or hours after being high, akin to a hangover after drinking. To address this, we examined if feeling high during the last (lagged) survey was related to current states, controlling for currently feeling high, both within one day and across to the next day.3 While currently feeling high was associated with a host of emotional changes, feeling high at the last survey measured hours earlier was surprisingly not associated with current levels of emotion. We also failed to find any next-day emotional effects (all adj. ps . .05), meaning that being high on the last completed survey of the day was unrelated to emotions on the first completed survey of the very next day. Similarly, there were no significant effects of feeling high at the last survey on current levels of motivation or effort willingness both within and across days (all adj. ps . .05). Finally, there were no significant lagged effects of feeling high at the last survey on current assessments of conscientiousness both within and across days (all adj. ps . .05). Thus, at least among chronic users, the effects of cannabis intoxication in the real world are short lived, with little indication of any sort of cannabis hangover a few hours later or the next day.

General Discussion
Cannabis is the fourth most widely used recreational drug in the world after caffeine, alcohol, and tobacco, yet our understanding of its recreational use and effects are
Figure 7. Within-Person and Between-Person Effects of Feeling High on Conscientiousness (A) Within-Person Effects (B and Standard Errors) Indicate That Getting High Undermines Self-Control, Orderliness, Virtue, and Traditionalism Aspects of Conscientiousness. (B) Between-Person Effects (B and Standard Errors) Indicate That People Who Get High Frequently (High 96% of Time) Have Lower Levels of Self-Control, Orderliness, and Virtue Aspects of Conscientiousness, and Lower Willpower Relative to Those Who Get High Less Relatively Frequently (High 32% of Time) Inzlicht et al. 9
surprisingly myopic. Much of this myopia comes from its historical criminalization, preventing a neutral and cleareyed evaluation of cannabis’s harms and benefits alike.

This led to a distorted view of cannabis and cannabis users, to the point where contemporary ethicists seriously claim that recreational cannabis use is unethical, morally illicit, and never warranted (Sullivan & Austriaco, 2016). Such
moralization helps clarify why cannabis users are stereotyped as lazy, uneducated, and possibly criminal (Reid, 2020).

Societal views and laws are changing, however. As an
increasing number of jurisdictions around the world have legalized cannabis, people are using cannabis more regularly, with some using it very frequently, chronically even (Statistics Canada, 2021). Our goal here was to understand this not insubstantial population more fully by nonjudgmentally
describing chronic cannabis use and chronic cannabis users in everyday life. We took a micro-longitudinal experience sampling approach to capture the real-life experience of chronic cannabis users, specifically interrogating how getting high influences how they feel, self-regulate, and motivate themselves. Our data reveal both expected and surprising findings.

Not surprisingly, compared with not feeling high, feeling high for chronic users was associated with a host of
increased positive emotions such as awe, inspiration, and gratitude, as well as reduced stress and fear at the withinperson level. Interestingly, getting high was not associated with increased suspicion/paranoia among chronic users,
contrary to popular depictions and even medical symptom lists (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). We note, however, that paranoia might be more common among
younger and more inexperienced users (Mackie et al.,
2021), something that we are unable to explore with our nonrepresentative sample of chronic cannabis users.

These emotional results shed some light on the main reason chronic users report using cannabis—because they like the feeling. In contrast, people who get high very frequently experience more negative emotions overall than people who still get high frequently, but relatively less frequently.

More surprising is what we discovered about motivation. We tested a broad range of motivation variables, ranging from self-reported apathy and intrinsic motivation to the actual exertion of mental effort, and overall found few negative effects of cannabis among chronic users.

Other than a small reduction in people doing things to
avoid feeling upset with themselves (introjected motivation), when chronic users got high, they were no more amotivated, no less motivated for extrinsic or intrinsic reasons, and no less willing to objectively push themselves.

Likewise, people who get high very frequently (e.g., daily) are not less motivated dispositionally than those who also get high frequently, but relatively less frequently (e.g., weekly); if anything, they are more motivated (at least for external and introjected reasons). We caution, however, that selection effects could introduce a collider bias
(Rohrer, 2018) that prevent these and other results from generalizing to broader populations.

Results with conscientiousness are decidedly less mixed.

Getting high and being a person who very frequently gets high is associated with mostly small, yet robust reductions in people’s conscientious behaviors and traits. Interestingly and against popular depiction, chronic users who are
momentarily high or who get high daily are no less responsible or industrious than chronic users who are not high or who get high weekly.

We were also surprised by the lack of any hangover
effects. When we examined previously being high on current emotional, motivational, and conscientiousness states (controlling for currently being high), we found no robust associations. This was the case within the same day or
across to the next day. Our results are consistent with a recent systematic review of studies examining next-day cannabis effects, which found limited support for next-day cannabis effects on performance (McCartney et al., 2023).

For chronic cannabis users at least, there appears to be little weed hangover.

While we think the research here is a real advance over past work given its use of experience sampling, microlongitudinal design, and a large and diverse sample, it is not without limitations. The biggest challenge has to do with our sample. Our participants were recruited from
online forums that cater to cannabis enthusiasts and
growers, meaning our results might not generalize to
novice or to less frequent users. Not only were our participants very heavy users, but they also needed to show diligence and care to complete an effortful study protocol over 7 days. It is possible, therefore, that our sample was quite conscientious and not representative of the broader population of chronic cannabis users, meaning that
effects might be very different in broader samples.

Furthermore, as our study did not compare cannabis
users to nonusers, or even frequent to infrequent users, our analyses can only speak to the experience of chronic cannabis use.

Cannabis is currently having a moment, and we expect
it to only become more popular as laws and attitudes shift.

We hope the research community will rise to the challenge of these societal shifts by attendant shifts in research philosophy that has been too quick to pathologize use.

Acknowledgments
The authors thank Emily Zohar, Victoria Oldemburgo de Mello, Aidan Campbell, Angela Smith, Laura Bustamante, Cypress Hill, Jeffrey Lebowski, and Naomi Sarah Ball for valuable insights.

Author Contributions
M.I. and T.B.S.-M. conceived and designed the study, T.B.S.-M. ran and implemented the study, G.J.D. analyzed the data, M.I. and G.J.D. wrote the manuscript, and M.I. and G.J.D. edited the manuscript.
10 Social Psychological and Personality Science 00(0)
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Funding
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: We would like to acknowledge generous support from grant #435- 2019-0144 from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada to M.I. and a SSHRC Doctoral
Fellowship to G.J.D.

ORCID iDs
Michael Inzlicht https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9297-6497
Greg John Depow https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9995-4143
Supplemental Material
The supplemental material is available in the online version of the article.

Notes

1. Design and technical limitations resulted in some cases where participants would complete the survey multiple
times from a single trigger. We therefore removed all surveys with a start time less than 60 minutes from the start time of the prior survey for that participant (n = 464
surveys).

2. Eighty-three participants had no variability in feeling high or not, being high all the time (n = 61) or never (n = 22).

They would therefore not be included in the estimation of within-subject effects but would be included in the calculation of between-subject effects. To address this discrepancy, we tested our between-subject effects with these 83 participants excluded and found that effects at the betweensubject level were robust to these exclusions.

3. Given how frequently our sample was high at any one
moment, we decided against restricting the sample to only those who are not currently high for the hangover analysis.

Instead, we opted to statistically control for currently being high to maximize power.

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Hart, C. L. (2022). Drug use for grown-ups: Chasing liberty in the land of fear. Penguin Books.

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Inzlicht, M., Werner, K. M., Briskin, J. L., & Roberts, B. W. (2021). Integrating Models of. Annual Review of Psychology, 72(1), 319–347.

Jeffers, A. M., Glantz, S., Byers, A., & Keyhani, S. (2021). Sociodemographic characteristics associated with and prevalence and frequency of cannabis use among adults in the US. JAMA Network Open, 4(11), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.36571 Inzlicht et al. 11
Kilwein, T. M., Wedell, E., Herchenroeder, L., Bravo, A. J., & Looby, A. (2022). A qualitative examination of college students’ perceptions of cannabis: Insights into the normalization of cannabis use on a college campus. Journal of American College Health, 70(3), 733–741. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481. 2020.1762612
Kuznetsova, A., Brockhoff, P. B., & Christensen, R. H. B. (2017). lmerTest package: Tests in linear mixed effects models. Journal of Statistical Software, 82(13), 1–26. https://doi.org/10.18637/ jss.v082.i13
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Reid, M. (2020). A qualitative review of cannabis stigmas at the twilight of prohibition. Journal of Cannabis Research, 2(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1186/S42238-020-00056-8/ME TRICS
Roberts, B. W., Lejuez, C., Krueger, R. F., Richards, J. M., & Hill, P. L. (2014). What is conscientiousness and how can it be assessed? Developmental Psychology, 50(5), 1315–1330. https:// doi.org/10.1037/a0031109
Rohrer, J. M. (2018). Thinking clearly about correlations and causation: Graphical causal models for observational data.

Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science, 1(1), 27–42. https://doi.org/10.1177/2515245917745629
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V., & Lawn, W. (2023). Anhedonia, apathy, pleasure, and effort-based decision-making in adult and adolescent cannabis users and controls. International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, 26(1), 9–19. https://doi.org/10.1093/ijnp/pyac056 Statistics Canada. (2021). Canadian Cannabis Survey 2021. https:// www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-medication/ cannabis/research-data/canadian-cannabis-survey-2021-summary.html#a2.2 Sullivan, E., & Austriaco, N. (2016). A virtue analysis of recreational marijuana use. Linacre Quarterly, 83, 158–173.

Sznitman, S. R., van Rijswijk, L., & Cousijn, J. (2022). Cannabis use as a predictor and outcome of positive and negative affect in college students: An ecological momentary assessment study. Addictive Behaviors, 128, 107221. https://doi.org/10. 1016/j.addbeh.2021.107221
United Nations. (2020). World Drug Report 2020. https://wdr. unodc.org/wdr2020/en/index2020.html
Vele, K. C., Cavalli, J. M., & Cservenka, A. (2022). Effort-based decision making and self-reported apathy in frequent cannabis users and healthy controls: A replication and extension. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 44(2), 146–162. https://doi.org/10.1080/13803395.2022.2093335
Vigil, J. M., Stith, S. S., & Chanel, T. (2022). Cannabis consumption and prosociality. Scientific Reports, 12(1), 1–9. https://doi. org/10.1038/s41598-022-12202-8
Volkow, N. D., Hampson, A. J., & Baler, R. D. (2017). Don’t worry, be happy: Endocannabinoids and cannabis at the intersection of stress and reward. Annual Review of Pharmacology and Toxicology, 57, 285–308. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurevpharmtox-010716-104615 Westbrook, A., Kester, D., & Braver, T. S. (2013). What is the subjective cost of cognitive effort? Load, trait, and aging effects revealed by economic preference. PLOS ONE, 8(7), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0068210
Winters, A., Malouff, J. M., & Schutte, N. S. (2022). The association between the five-factor model of personality and problem cannabis use: A meta-analysis. Personality and Individual Differences, 193, 111635. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-022-10119-5 Author Biographies
Michael Inzlicht is a Professor in the Department of
Psychology at the University of Toronto, cross-appointed at the Rotman School of Management. Michael completed
his B.Sc. in Anatomical Sciences at McGill University in 1994, his Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology at Brown
University in 2001, and his postdoctoral fellowship in
Applied Psychology at New York University in 2004.

Taylor Bridget Sparrow-Mungal is currently pursuing
her Juris Doctor degree at Osgoode Hall Law School. She completed her Honours Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Toronto in 2021.

Greg Depow is a Ph.D. candidate in Social Psychology at the University of Toronto. He earned his Master’s degree in Psychology from the University of Toronto in 2018, as well as a Bachelor of Arts with an honors extension in
Psychology and a minor in Applied Ethical Political
Philosophy from the University of the Fraser Valley in 2013.

Handling Editor: Rodica Damian
12 Social Psychological and Personality Science 00(0)
10 Lindsay Nelson
From: Bonnie Bush
Sent: Friday, May 10, 2024 1:23 PM
To: City Council
Subject: Fwd: Letter of Support for WAMM, for inclusion with the agenda packet and for consideration at the May 14 City Council Meeting
Bonnie Bush
City Clerk
City of Santa Cruz
809 Center St., Room 8, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Phone: 831-420-5035
Email:[email protected] Web: www.cityofsantacruz.com Begin forwarded message:

From: "M. Allen Hopper" <[email protected]>
Date: May 10, 2024 at 1:07:57 PM PDT
To: Fred Keeley <[email protected]>, Bonnie Bush <[email protected]> Subject: Re: Letter of Support for WAMM, for inclusion with the agenda packet and for consideration at the May 14 City Council Meeting
Dear Mayor Keely and Clerk Bush,
Following up on my email from Wednesday, Valerie Corral, Ben Rice and Dana McRae suggested that I reach out to you in support of the proposed cannabis dispensary at the site of the former Emily’s Bakery on Mission and Laurel Streets. At their invitation, I intend to offer public comments at the Council’s upcoming public meeting on May 14 and would request that I be allowed additional time for my comments, for a total of 5 minutes, if that is possible.

Thank you.
--Allen Hopper
Law Offices of M. Allen Hopper
415-450-5336 (cell)
[email protected]
On Wed, May 8, 2024 at 4:23 PM M. Allen Hopper <[email protected]> wrote:

Dear Mayor Keeley and Councilmembers,
Valerie Corral, Ben Rice and Dana McRae suggested that I reach out to you in support of 11 the proposed cannabis dispensary at the site of the former Emily’s Bakery on Mission and Laurel Streets. At their invitation, I intend to offer public comments at the Council’s upcoming public meeting on May 14 and would request that I be allowed additional time for my comments, for a total of 5 minutes, if that is possible.

I also respectfully request that the attached letter be entered into the public record as additional written testimony/comments and distributed to the Councilmembers in advance of the May 14 meeting.

Thank you.

Allen Hopper
Attorney at Law
1 Rosemary Balsley
From: Karli Adams <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, May 10, 2024 3:04 PM
To: City Council
Subject: Applicant KGBB DBA The Hook Santa Cruz
Dear Esteemed Members of the Santa Cruz City Council,
I am writing to reiterate my stance against the appeal targeting the application of KGBB DBA The Hook Santa Cruz, spearheaded by a vocal minority of well-intentioned but highly misinformed parents and educators.

The prospective establishment at 1129 Mission Street has diligently followed all legal protocols and regulations. They have cooperated extensively with the Santa Cruz High School Board, the concerned parents and educators, and yourselves in addressing these apprehensions. Through my own independent research, it's become clear to me that the school board's objection seriously lacks a factual basis.

While it's indisputable that cannabis use among minors should be discouraged, it is also crucial to acknowledge the rigorous measures legal dispensaries like The Hook undertake to prevent underage access. Stringent ID checks, security protocols, and surveillance systems are in place to prevent this occurrence.

Additionally, the illicit market poses far greater risks upon youth than legal cannabis dispensaries ever will. Teens most often resort to obtaining cannabis from the illicit market, exposing themselves to products that may be contaminated or laced with dangerous substances like fentanyl. If not from the illicit market, teenagers acquire cannabis within their own households, mirroring the method through which they access pharmaceuticals, alcohol, and nicotine products. Rather than obstructing a legal cannabis business, a more effective strategy to address adolescent cannabis use would require parents to foster open, transparent discussions with their children about the associated risks. A lack of conscientiousness from parents to engage in these conversations should certainly not be imposed on a legal business that has done their diligence to educate the community about safe cannabis use.

The proactive steps taken by The Hook to address community concerns are noteworthy. Their voluntary decision to raise the minimum purchasing age to 19, and their willingness to conceal their storefront and restrict signage exemplifies their commitment to responsible operation. Moreover, The Hook's collaboration with WAMM Phytotherapies shows immense dedication to supporting medical cannabis patients in Santa Cruz. WAMM's service is truly invaluable, as they provide free and legal cannabis to individuals with terminal or chronic illnesses. This clearly highlights the vital role of an accessible dispensary like The Hook, who are deeply committed to our sick and dying community members.

In light of these considerations, I implore the City Council not to be swayed by the fear tactics or misinformation in this appeal. Embracing the establishment of The Hook and its partnership with WAMM Phytotherapies at 1129 Mission Street is not only conducive to the community's well-being, but also reflects our values of compassion and inclusivity.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.
2 Karli Adams
Santa Cruz resident
3 Rosemary Balsley
From: Joshua Logan <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, May 10, 2024 4:52 PM
To: City Council
Subject: Letter in Support of the Dispensary at 1129 Mission Street Dear City Council and any member of the Public reading this, As an educator in our Santa Cruz community, I am writing to express my support for The Hook Outlet’s new dispensary at 1129 Mission St. Their comprehensive approach to mitigating potential impacts on youth, such as their age-related sales limitations and youth non-diversion program, demonstrates a clear commitment to the safety and well-being of our young people.

Their willingness to collaborate with the school board and community groups such as Community Prevention Partners and take additional steps to ensure that their operations do not negatively impact our youth is commendable. The Hook Outlet's responsible and proactive approach sets a high standard for cannabis dispensaries. I agree with Senator Laird who said recently that it is a "simple act of fairness" to allow the dispensary to move forward.

Sincerely,
Joshua Logan
Local Entertainer & Educator
SC Resident for 20+ years
Educator at Gateway School for over 6 years
Perform for Quest Camp Summer Program
Co-Founded Boardwalk Magic Shop
Advised the Founders of Made in Space
4 Rosemary Balsley
From: Jurij Kokolskyj <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, May 10, 2024 5:07 PM
To: City Council
Subject: Submission of Public Opinion Study Results on Proposed Dispensary Opening Dear Members of the City Council,
I conducted an informal online study to gauge public opinion on the proposed opening of the new dispensary on 1129 Mission Street. To do this, I gathered comments from three different platforms: Instagram, Nextdoor, and Reddit. These platforms provide a broad view of community sentiment and are widely used by residents.

The study collected a total of 288 comments from various posts discussing the new dispensary. Of these, 230 comments (79.86%) were in favor of opening the dispensary, while 58 comments (20.14%) were opposed.

These results suggest that a significant majority of commenters support the establishment of the new dispensary. I hope this information will assist in your deliberations regarding this proposal.

For reference, here are the links to the specific posts from which these comments were obtained, along with an attached compilation of community comments relevant to this topic:
•
•
• Nextdoor:
• Link
•
•
•
• Instagram:
• Link
• 1,
• Link
• 2,
• Link
• 3,
• Link
• 4,
• Link
• 5,
• Link
• 6
•
•
•
• Reddit:
• Link
• 1,
• Link
• 2,
• Link
5 • 3
•
Furthermore, I kindly request that this letter & the attached public comments be entered into public record for transparency and accessibility.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. Sincerely, Jurij Kokolskyj
Santa Cruz Resident
District 2
To help protect your
privacy, Micro so ft Office
prevented automatic
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from the Internet.

CommentStudyForCityCouncil.pdf
To help protect your
privacy, Micro so ft Office
prevented automatic
download of this picture
from the Internet.

Social Media Comments for Public Record - 1129 Mission Street.pdf To help protect your
privacy, Micro so ft Office
prevented automatic
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from the Internet.

CommentStudyForCityCouncilSources.pdf
1 Rosemary Balsley
From: Bryce Berryessa <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, May 10, 2024 5:20 PM
To: City Council; Bonnie Bush
Cc: Gavin Kogan; Kyle Giorchino; Valerie Leveroni Corral; Ryan Bane Subject: Appeal Rebuttal Letter and Supporting Documentation - WAMM Attachments: Appeal Rebuttal Letter May 10, 2024.pdf
Dear City Council,
Please take a look at the attached rebuttal letter to the appeal filed against our project at 1129 Mission St. on March 18th, 2024. We ask you to review it and that the attached be added to the agenda and entered into the public record.

Best Regards,
Bryce Berryessa

May 10, 2024
Santa Cruz City Council
℅ Bonnie Bush, City Clerk
809 Center Street, Rm 8
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Re: May 14, 2024 City Council Regular Meeting
1129 Mission Street: CP23-0106 (APN 006-493-27) Appeal of the Planning Commission Approval of an Administrative Use Permit to Establish a Cannabis Retail Facility on a Parcel in the MU-M (Mixed-Use Medium Density) Zone District and within the Mission Street Urban Design Plan. Environmental Determination: Categorical Exemption 15301, Existing Facilities. Applicant: Bryce Berryessa. (PL)
Dear Members of Santa Cruz City Council,
We, the members of the AUP applicant (“WAMM”), respectfully write in opposition to the appeal submitted in opposition to the determination of the Planning Commission granting the Administrative use Permit to establish a cannabis retail facility at 1129 Mission Street (“Appeal”).

The fundamental basis of democracy is the trust and confidence the people have in their government." - Adlai Stevenson.

While appellants are well-intentioned, their position is flawed on the facts, wrong on and law, and they seek a decision that will gravely undermine public confidence in this governmental body’s fair and impartial application of the law - and in an era when such confidence is poignantly at risk. The issue before the City Council is not the health and safety of the public but squarely the public’s confidence in fair government.

Before this City Council are submitted the opinions of well-regarded state and local public servants, California Senators Mark Stone & John Laird, California Assemblymember Gail Pellerin, former County Supervisor John Leopold, former City Mayors Mike Rothkin & Emily Reilly and Capitola City Police Chief Andrew Daily,
1 each of whom has had to balance public
health and safety interests alongside the fair exercise of government authority. They uniformly implore this government body to grant the AUP, not primarily because they are in favor of WAMM’s history but primarily because the applicant has complied in all respects with applicable City law. Their principal concern is the public trust in the integrity of government. 1 See attached hereto as Exhibit A the Support Letters from Public Officials City Counsel Letter
May 10, 2024

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Santa Cruz City CouncilMay 14, 2024

Santa Cruz City Council
May 14, 2024