Cannabis lounges banned in Carson City; board agrees to discuss compromises on curbside pickup
Submitted by Kelsey Penrose on Thu, 08/05/2021 - 12:19pm
During Thursday's Board of Supervisors meeting in Carson City, the board voted 4-1 to outlaw cannabis consumption lounges in the capital city, and agreed to further discussions regarding cannabis curbside pickup.
After the second and final reading, cannabis lounges were banned in Carson City with a 4-1 vote; Supervisor Maurice White voted against, stating that he believed the ordinance should be put on hold until cannabis board regulations came out relating to lounges.
“Until those regulations come out, we don’t know what we’re making illegal,” said White.
The Business Impact Statement regarding curbside cannabis pickup was discussed, which included the statement that 30 to 40 percent of all business conducted by the two Carson City dispensaries were now being done via curbside pickup, and prohibiting it would cause a negative economic outcome for the businesses.
Mayor Lori Bagwell stated she didn’t believe that "suddenly all of that business would go away" if curbside pickup was prohibited, but that she would vote to accept the Business Impact Statement from the cannabis industry.
“I’m not insisting there has to be a blanket ban on curbside pick up, but it is what I would prefer,” said Bagwell.
Will Adler, the representative for both RISE and Sierra Well in Carson City, stated that they are willing to adjust any curbside pickup issues the city may be concerned with.
“Thirty percent of the customers today are self selecting curbside,” said Adler.
Adler said the reason customers are choosing to use curbside mostly relates to mobility issues and anxiety regarding COVID-19.
District Attorney Jason Woodbury sent a letter to be entered into the record supporting a blanket ban regarding cannabis curbside pickup, citing issues of public safety.
Sheriff Ken Furlong asked whether or not allowing these two businesses to conduct curbside pickup would negatively affect the city by allowing other businesses to utilize city streets and sidewalks. He stated one problem of allowing these businesses to have curbside pick up could be that other businesses, such as downtown restaurants, would want to bring their tables onto the streets and sidewalks.
Supervisor Stacey Giomi had a rebuttal for this argument stating that he doesn’t see a comparison due to the fact that restaurants do utilize city space for their tables, and they utilize curbside pickup for both food and alcohol.
Furlong stated that while he is against allowing curbside pickup, he commends both facilities for their "astounding security and customer service capabilities."
Mayor Bagwell said that curbside pickup to her feels like “a drug deal in the parking lot” because the businesses are still cash-only due to federal regulation, while other curbside businesses such as grocery stores do all of their ordering and payment online.
Supervisor Stan Jones stated that he agreed with Supervisor Giomi, and he wasn’t sure if a blanket ban would be the right choice.
Supervisor Lisa Schuette stated that many of the curbside users utilize the system due to health and mobility issues. She said she was in favor of allowing curbside pickup with stricter guidelines for safety and control.
Supervisor White stated he didn’t see how a curbside pickup would increase the possibility of crime. He also stated he didn’t understand how curbside delivery could increase pedestrian issues since customers are not leaving their vehicles.
He further stated he believed that the proposed prohibition seemed rushed through and not thought out.
Adler stated that the highest risk for individuals isn’t with product, but exiting their vehicles with cash as they enter the stores, or for employees leaving the store at the end of the night with the cash deposit. Adler also said that at no point are both cash and product outside at one time, for safety issues.
The board chose to forego a vote on the first reading of the proposed ordinance, and chose instead to direct city staff to create a new first reading including mitigation efforts proposed by the cannabis industry as a compromise, instead of a blanket ban on all curbside pickup.
It will be brought back before the board with the new recommendations in place to be voted upon on a later date.
