Updates to the Cannabis Ordinance, Live Scan process, and FAQ

A few updates to the ongoing cannabis business permit process:

• On January 16, 2024, City Council adopted an update to the Cannabis Business Ordinance. This includes clarifying information about the zone clearance and zone of preference selection process, a statement of "No physical address for the proposed cannabis business shall be listed on the retail permit application,” and an update to the definition of "Youth Center."
• There has been an update to the Live Scan process. All Live Scans must include both the DOJ and FBI portions to be considered in compliance with the Live Scan application requirement. Unfortunately, MPD will not be able to conduct Live Scans for this application process prior to the 1/29/2024 deadline. All applicants should visit https://oag.ca.gov/fingerprints/locations to find a DOJ-approved Live Scan facility where they can accomplish this task (some of these locations may not be able to conduct the FBI portion of the Live Scan, so please verify that your agency of choice is able to do so in advance). The Live Scan form provided on this page has been updated to include additional prefilled information.
• The FAQ section of the webpage is updated weekly and may be found at https://files.monterey.org/Document%20Center/CommDev/Planning/Cannabis/Cannabis-FAQ.pdf.

For the most up to date information including links to all of the above, please be sure to visit monterey.org/cannabis.