SANTA CRUZ — A cannabis dispensary specializing in providing medical marijuana to patients with serious diseases will be allowed to do business in the city of Santa Cruz after the Planning Commission approved its application this week.
At the meeting Thursday evening, which ran into the night, the Santa Cruz Planning Commission listened to heated arguments for and against the proposed use of the former Emily’s Bakery at 1129 Mission St. in Santa Cruz as a cannabis dispensary.
The prospect was highly contested by Santa Cruz City Schools Superintendent Kris Munro alongside other community members, who felt that allowing the dispensary to operate relatively close to Santa Cruz High School and Mission Hill Middle School would lead to increased cannabis use among students.
According to state law, a cannabis retail establishment must be at least 600 feet away from a school and in the fall of 2017, the Santa Cruz City Council adopted an ordinance establishing and reiterating the 600-foot buffer from schools and also capped the total number of cannabis dispensaries allowed in the city to five. There are currently four dispensaries in the city of Santa Cruz.
Cannabis dispensaries in the city are also required to be 600 feet