San Jose Bans Recreational Marijuana

San Jose has temporarily banned sales of recreational marijuana in a move to help stop illegal pot shops and to allow City Hall to draft a regulatory scheme to oversee the new industry.

Just a week ago voters of the city decided whether to legalize marijuana and just ahead of Proposition 64 the Bay Area’s largest city has joined list of cities to ban or adopt regulations on the growing, processing and selling of nonmedical pot.

The other cities with similar move included Palo Alto, Campbell, Hayward, Foster City, Davis and Martinez.

Prop. 64 is termed to an initiative by a state on November 8 ballot that legalizes use of pot for adults.

Two years ago San Jose adopted rules for medical marijuana collectives, whittling hundreds of scfflaw medical pot dispensaries to sixteen sanctioned shops.

The ban is effective immediately with no end date as of now, but officials hinted it may not be lifted before 2018 when licensing recreational marijuana stores starts if Prop. 64 is passed.

San Jose is planning to have its own regulations.

City manager’s assistant Michelle McGurk said, “We want potential cannabis entrepreneurs to know commercial recreational marijuana collectives are not allowed in San Jose.”

If the Prop. 64 is passed, adults aged 21 and above could be allowed to smoke or ingest marijuana, which could also be processed and transported. Growing up to six plants indoors will become legal, but outdoor cultivation could either be banned or regulated.