San Diego Office IBA Issues Report on Medical Marijuana Regulatory Structure Cost and Fees

Eugene Davidovich, San Diego Americans for Safe Access

SAN DIEGO – The Office of the Independent Budget Analyst (IBA) on May 24, 2010 issued a 15 page report (IBA Report 10-45) on the Medical Marijuana Medical Marijuana Regulatory Structure Costs and Fees. “This report will expand upon the discussion within (IBA Report 10-15) with specific recommendations regarding the regulatory structure appropriate within the City of San Diego based on Task Force and Council Committee recommendations.

The new report (IBA 10-45) in summary states that “The IBA evaluated each of the Task Force’s regulatory recommendations for the appropriate departmental jurisdiction within the City that would undertake the administrative and regulatory oversight as recommended by the Task Force and Land Use and Housing. Our review determined that there are existing regulatory structures within the Development Services Department, the Police Department, and the Treasurer’s Office that are appropriate to address the recommended regulatory actions. These departments will have to work to determine the most effective and efficient manner to conduct the various permitting processes across their departments”.

“The identification of the costs and a recommendation for specific cost recovery fees for the regulation of medical marijuana collectives/cooperatives would require a determination of the specific requirements and departmental responsibilities as outlined within a future City Ordinance. Where an appropriate fee structure does not already exist, the identified City departments will need to conduct a fee study to assign costs to their required administrative and/or regulatory duties, based on the specific personnel or non-personnel costs particular to each”.

THE COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC SAFETY AND NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO will be meeting on May 26, 2010 at 2pm to take action on the San Diego Medical Marijuana Task Force recommendations as well as to hear a presentation of the IBA report (AGENDA ITEM 10) from the Independent Budget Analyst as well as the report from the San Diego City Attorney.

Here is the AGENDA for the meeting: http://docs.sandiego.gov/ccagenda_psns/p100526.pdf | The San Diego Medical Marijuana Task Force recommendations and all other relevant information can be viewed on their website: http://www.sandiego.gov/medicalmarijuana/

The community needs to be there in FULL FORCE to help educate and continue to monitor what the committee does with the recommendations of the task force: