County presents 2026–2030 cannabis strategic plan, prioritizes code updates and outreach

Michelle House, the county’s cannabis program manager, presented the 2026–2030 strategic plan and explained why staff are moving from a two-year to a four-year cycle to allow time to advance heavier priorities.

“I am moving forward with a 4 year strategic plan now,” Michelle House said, explaining the longer cycle is required to complete items such as aligning local code 7.9 with Department of Cannabis Control regulations. The plan includes a new vision statement to 'foster a safe and trusted industry' and an updated mission to safeguard community health, the environment and the legal industry while promoting compliance and deterring unlawful activity.

Priorities discussed include revising code 7.9 as the top priority, adopting a tiered inspection system tied to compliance performance, expanding industry collaboration and outreach (staff discussed creating a Meta/Facebook account to post recalls and updates), and exploring revenue diversification such as consumption lounges. Michelle said the draft consumption lounge ordinance is scheduled for the planning commission on Aug. 26.

Industry attendees praised interdepartmental collaboration. Joey, a member of the local cannabis industry, told the committee that the plan’s emphasis on partnership is an important shift away from a purely regulatory posture. The committee asked staff to continue refining metrics and to present an infographic-style dashboard showing operator counts and employment in future annual reporting.