Grover Seaside seeking to make town a “hashish tourism vacation spot”

The city of Grover Beach is taking steps to strengthen the commercial cannabis industry. But what exactly is the city doing to make it a cannabis tourism destination?

On Monday, the city of Grover Beach announced it was considering changing cannabis tax rates to compete with other cities, as well as setting up consumption lounges on-site.

As an internationally recognized leader in the safe, responsible establishment of a thriving commercial cannabis industry, #GroverBeach continues taking steps to strengthen the industry and explore new opportunities for businesses to create jobs and generate tax revenue. (1/3) pic.twitter.com/xk2bo7scbH

— City of Grover Beach (@CityGroverBeach) May 13, 2021

“Our cannabis tax rate goal has always been competitive with other communities while providing sufficient revenue to support community needs,” said Matthew Bronson, manager of Grover Beach City.

For the next fiscal year, the city estimates cannabis tax revenue at $ 2.4 million. It is now the third largest source of income for the city. As a result, the city plans to add on-site consumption lounges, which would be the first of its kind in San Luis Obispo County.

“In a consumption lounge, people can really go in, get their cannabis, and actually use it so that the person working with them, our budget tender, can see it almost immediately,” said Natural Healing Center Government Director Joe Armendariz.

In Santa Barbara County, Seaweed Dispensary in Lompoc was the first company to allow cannabis use on-site.

The owner of the Seaweed Dispensary, Tod Mitchell, has just received approval to open another location in Grover Beach. He says the city has a lot of potential for the cannabis industry.

“I very much hope that Grover Beach will follow in Lompoc’s footsteps as I believe that most of the taxpayer dollars to support the community comes from retailers,” said Mitchell.

“Canna tourism is an untapped market that could be an opportunity for us,” said Bronson. “The provision of on-site consumption lounges provides people who travel or live in the region with a safe and responsible place to be able to consume cannabis products in a very careful manner.”

Although no official decision has been made yet, Grover Beach plans to propose guidelines for the cannabis industry to the city council this fall.

If the city council decides to move forward, there will be a change to the ordinance to allow on-site consumption lounges by the end of the year.