Lompoc City Council to further discuss potential moratorium on cannabis licenses

LOMPOC, Calif. – Lompoc City Council discussed the cannabis use ordinance, regulation, and a potential moratorium or cap during Tuesday night's meeting.

During Tuesday night's meeting, City Attorney Jeff Malawy presented the breakdown of the cannabis use ordinance, the tax ordinance, and how many shops are currently open in town.

There was a request from the council back in July regarding a potential moratorium or cap.

According to Malawy, 46 licensed cannabis have been issued in Lompoc and 16 license applications are pending.

The City says 11 retail shops are open.

Some city staff discussed a permanent cap on opening shops in Lompoc. Malawy said it will take additional work to make it happen.

During public comment, some suggested having a cap for opening cannabis shops. By doing that, some can wait until a shop owner forfeits their license, then someone next in line could apply to open their shop in town.

Some said 40 plus retail locations is a lot for a small town like Lompoc.

A caller mentioned he was representing several cannabis shops in Lompoc. He said a 12-month moratorium would help, freeze everything in place and reevaluate the cannabis industry. The caller said he does not recommend a cap.

City Council decided to discuss further a potential moratorium for a cannabis license on September 20th.

The city attorney is expected to have a moratorium draft then.