San Francisco

Bay Area Poised to Lead California in Legal Marijuana Sales – But There Are Challenges Ahead

The Bay Area leads the world when it comes to tech — and it is poised to lead California in marijuana sales.

Turns out, however, that it may not be as easy as it sounds to sell weed, even once it’s legalized on Jan. 1.

Shops have to have both a local permit and a state license before they’re allowed to sell pot. One such place is Airfield, of San Jose. With less than a week to go, only 40 stores statewide are equipped to sell pot.

The California Bureau of Cannabis Control said San Jose and San Diego are tied with the most stores: seven each. There are two shops set to open in Berkeley and another one in Oakland.

Workshops have been held around the state to explain the process, but applications for permits to grow and sell marijuana have only been online for a couple of weeks.

Some have argued — at the state level – that there are just too many regulations. Analysts fear the new legal economy could struggle if the black market continues to thrive in face of said regulations.

And then — at the local level — many cities and counties have been slow to approve their own rules and regulations.

Even San Francisco, which many refer to as the birthplace of the recreational and medical marijuana movement in the United States, doesn’t look like it will be ready by Monday.

Worth noting that just because people can legally buy marijuana, doesn’t mean they can legally smoke it everywhere. What may be legal in one city or county may not be legal in a neighboring city or county.

And people won’t be allowed to smoking pot in the same places where cigarette smoking is prohibited.

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