FRESNO CANNABIS REGULATIONS DRAFT
QUICK FACT SHEET
 The draft regulations are issued by the Council Subcommittee on
Cannabis. The group was made up of Councilmembers Olivier,
Baines and Caprioglio. They were aided in their work by the city’s
cannabis consultant, as well as input from professional city staff,
i.e. city attorney, police, fire, and planning.
 In its scope of work, the Fresno City Attorney’s office received
input from the Bureau of Cannabis Control, the State Department
of Agriculture and the State Department of Public Health when
crafting these regulations.
 The subcommittee has been meeting since the full council voted
unanimously in December, 2017 to create a legal framework for
the licensing of medicinal cannabis operations in Fresno city
limits.
 In addition to medicinal, the subcommittee decided in March,
2018 to begin the creation of the regulatory framework needed
for the licensing of adult-use (recreational) cannabis cultivation,
manufacturing, distribution, and testing, only.
 NO potential licenses for adult-use (recreational)
dispensaries or delivery services are included in these
regulations.
 Both medicinal and adult-use regulations require the approval of
the full council to be adopted (at least four votes.)
WHAT THE REGULATIONS DO…
 If adopted, The regulations permit the licensing of medicinal
cannabis dispensaries to be rolled out on the following schedule:
Seven (7) licensed the first year, seven more after nine months,
and seven the third year, with the approval of the city manager.
 Dispensary licenses will be allocated by council district to foster
the even distribution of cannabis businesses by council district.
 Dispensaries will be able to operate from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
 Cannabis operators are required to have a State of Californiaissued license in addition to obtaining a city license.
 The regulations allow for Ten (10) licenses each of the following
activities: Cultivation, Manufacturing, Distribution and Testing.

  The regulations prohibit greenhouse or outdoor growing of
cannabis within city limits.
 A cannabis delivery service license will be tied to the brick-andmortar dispensaries.
 Dispensaries must be located at least 800 feet from residentially
zoned parcels, schools, parks and daycare centers.
 Four (4) Cannabis Business Hubs, where cultivation,
manufacturing, and distribution activities can occur, will be
permitted. Hubs must be located in light and heavy industrial
districts within one (1) mile of Highway 99, and within one mile of
Highway 180 west of Highway 99.
LOOKING AHEAD…
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Cannabis Industry professionals and citizens are encouraged to
participate in the public comment period that will run from
today’s date through the date-still-to-be-determined fall council
meeting. Comments can be sent to cannabisregs@fresno.org.
Due to the expected high volume of comments expected, city
staff will be unable to respond to comments or questions. The
comment period is based on the public comment model
established by the Bureau of Cannabis Control.
There will be a public question-and-answer and comment
meeting on Monday, September 17th in council chambers from
5:30-7:30 p.m.
It is intended that public feedback be used to amend or improve
draft regulations and those changes be included in the final draft
of regulations that will be submitted to the full council for a vote
in the fall.
The subcommittee will bring the regulations to the full council
sometime this fall, at a regularly scheduled meeting, for a vote of
the full council. If the regulations are adopted, they become law
and the administration will begin to create the bureaucratic
framework for issuing licenses and enforcement.
Voters will have the opportunity to decide if the city should tax
Cannabis products in this coming November’s election. “Measure
A” is the Cannabis ballot item. The tax needs to be in place if the
city is to collect revenue to administer a successful cannabis
program.

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The city must also complete the land use element of the
legalization of cannabis, which requires the city properly zone the
city to accommodate cannabis businesses. This process requires
the completion of a California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)
analysis. This could take six (6) months from the time of initiation
to complete. It has yet to be initiated.