Plenty of answers sought in local debate

Monterey elected officials and the public on Wednesday had the chance to weigh in on the issue of allowing cannabis operations in the city, allowing City Council members to give city staff direction on additional information needed and questions they want answered the next time the issue comes around.

Concerns about public safety, impacts on city revenue and diversifying the city’s revenue streams were top of mind for most council members as well as the public. With a significant majority of Monterey residents approving the recreational use of marijuana in 2016, the question becomes what would be the best way to implement cannabis dispensaries in the city.

Wednesday’s meeting was a study session and no action was taken other than to direct staff to come back to the council with additional information.

City Councilman Alan Haffa, who originally brought the issue to the council last month, noted that 8,284 voters in Monterey voted for legalization while 3,631 voted against it, roughly 70% of the voting public wanted it legal for adult use.

“I feel that the people have spoken and now we need to see how it will work for Monterey,” Haffa said. “Right now we are obstructing business opportunities that are happening in other cities.”

There are legal dispensaries in Carmel Valley, Seaside and Del Rey Oaks. Pacific Grove just approved a single dispensary and

Marina is moving in a similar direction. Seaside’s dispensaries are generating roughly $1 million a year for city coffers.

Calling it a complicated issue, Monterey Police Chief David Hober expressed concern about the cost in terms of public safety based on his 33 years in law enforcement. One concern of his was the amount of staff time by police, the city planning department, the city manager’s office and code enforcement to regulate cannabis stores.

His second concern is what he called the potential for violent crime such as robbery. He also asserted that there would “most likely” be an increase in driving under the influence-related injuries and death with increased availability of cannabis. No hard data was provided and Hober acknowledged that “the data is very confusing and you can find data to support either side.”

In answer to a question by City Councilman Dan Albert on whether there is a correlation between the number of dispensaries and the amount of crime, Hober said that based on his experience the more dispensaries there are in a city, the more crime issues there will be.

Haffa directed city staff to speak to the cities of Seaside and Del Rey Oaks to see what their crime statistics are and if they have changed any since those cities allowed cannabis stores to open, a sentiment echoed by other council members and callers.

“Councilmembers there have told me they are not aware of any changes in crime,” Haffa said.