Getting Organized
THE GREEN RUSH IN CALIFORNIA IS A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY FOR UFCW 770
UFCW Local 770’s political
advocacy contributed to the
successful passage of the
Medical Cannabis Regulation
and Safety Act enacted on
September 11, 2015. The
law creates a comprehensive
state licensing system for
the commercial cultivation,
manufacture, retail sale,
transport, distribution,
delivery, and testing of medical
cannabis. And crucially for
cannabis industry workers,
licensees must enter into a
Labor Peace Agreement with a
“bona fide labor organization”
that ensures workers can gain
a voice at work through a fair
process.
With the passage of the Adult
Use of Marijuana Act (AUMA)
- endorsed by UFCW after
securing worker protections,
and passed by California
voters in November 2016 - the
California cannabis industry
is poised to triple in size.
Time Magazine reported that
California’s cannabis market
could be valued at $6.46 billion
by 2020.
With this explosion in the
size of the industry comes a
tremendous opportunity to
grow our union.
Los Angeles
Issue 1
San Luis Obispo (SLO) County
is in the process of developing
rules that will regulate
cultivation, manufacturing,
Los Angeles’s medical
marijuana market alone is
already close to $1 billion,
easily overshadowing the State
of Colorado’s entire market,
according to Forbes magazine.
The city is expected to pass
an ordinance in 2017 that will
clear the path for a proper
licensing program and open
up the recreational market.
The largest existing market for
marijuana is poised to grow
exponentially over the next
several years.
Measure M
UFCW Local 770 backed
Measure M, the Los Angeles
City Council-backed ballot
measure that aims to regulate
the marijuana businesses
in L.A., passed by nearly
80% of voters on March 7.
The measure pushes for the
regulation, taxation, and
enforcement of cannabis sales.
Measure M’s passage returns
authority to the City Council
and mayor to repeal and
replace Proposition D with a
new set of rules covering all
aspects of the industry, from
where marijuana businesses
can locate and the hours they
may operate to how they
market their products. Measure
M gives city leaders the
flexibility to tweak, repeal or
add new regulations as needed,
rather than having to go back to
the voters.
9
San Luis Obispo
THE VOICE
transportation and distribution,
testing and sales of medical
and nonmedical cannabis.
Commercial cannabis activities
will require a license from the
county and the state, which is
planning to accept applications
beginning in 2018. Pressured
by a November 18 deadline,
417 marijuana cultivators
submitted applications to
register their grows with SLO
County.
Santa Barbara
On April 11, the Santa
Barbara County Board of
Supervisors adopted an
ordinance establishing a
limited term, non-personal
cannabis cultivation and related
Operations Registry Program
within the unincorporated areas
of the county. The registry
Spring 2017