California might seem like a 'pot desert' ... unless you live in, around Modesto

Depending on your perspective, Modesto might be seen as a green oasis in terms of legal marijuana in Stanislaus County.

Eight retailers with Modesto addresses are selling pot under temporary licenses from the state Bureau of Cannabis Control. The city of Modesto plans to issue up to 10 more permits for cannabis stores within the city limits later this year.

The choices are slimmer outside of Modesto. Riverbank and Ceres have approved a few dispensaries and there are licensed retailers at four locations in and around Patterson, according to the state bureau. Examples of licensed dispensaries are Medallion Wellness, 4213 McHenry Ave.; Flavors, 2213 Patterson Road in Riverbank; and Empire Health and Wellness, 4725 Yosemite Blvd.

Oakdale, Hughson and Newman have no licensed retailers. Turlock and Waterford have banned dispensaries.

Although recreational marijuana may be legal throughout the state, much of California remains a “pot desert,” according to a Sacramento Bee analysis of state licensing data.

Three months into the rollout of commercial marijuana, residents in about 40 percent of the state have to drive 60 miles or more to find a licensed dispensary to buy legal marijuana. These areas can be considered “pot deserts,” borrowing from a term often applied to healthy food and grocery stores.

While that might sound like hyperbole for a product like cannabis, remember that many people use marijuana for medicine and dispensaries are supposed to replace medical marijuana collectives that previously served patients.

The reason for the dearth of dispensaries across much of the state is simple local control. The legalization initiative, Proposition 64, gave local government the authority to ban or regulate commercial cannabis. Many communities such as Turlock and Waterford have chosen to ban.

Stanislaus County did not permit any retail stores before the Jan. 1 start for commercial sales, but told the state to issue temporary permits for businesses that are applying for a county permit, that is, if they were in business before November 2016.

The county plans to issue up to 61 permits for commercial cannabis operations in the unincorporated area, including no more than seven permits for dispensaries. Residents may see more licensed nurseries and manufacturers pop up, but the county has promised to shut down retailers that are not issued a county permit.

Modesto has received two dozen applications for dispensaries and is in the process of reviewing them. Applicants could come before the City Council as soon as July.

Industry officials say that local bans harm patients who use marijuana for medicinal purposes., threaten the financial viability of California’s nascent commercial market and do not reflect the will of voters, who approved Prop. 64 by 57 percent. Local government officials say not all communities with bans expect them to be permanent.

A proposed bill, SB 1302, would allow cannabis delivery in communities with local bans. The bill, by Sen. Ricardo Lara, D-Bell Gardens, could face opposition from local governments that see their control as an essential component of Prop 64.

The Sacramento Bee analyzed 284 dispensaries licensed across the state by the California Bureau of Cannabis Control and found:

Eastern California — from Oregon to Mexico — has the longest drive times to dispensaries.

To create this map

• 30 percent of the state is within 30 miles of at least one dispensary. These are mostly the metro areas for the state’s biggest cities, including Los Angeles, San Francisco and Sacramento.
• 29 percent of the state is between 30 and 60 miles of a dispensary.
• The biggest part of the state, 38 percent, is between 60 and 120 miles of a dispensary.

This story was originally published March 26, 2018 at 2:49 PM with the headline "California might seem like a 'pot desert' ... unless you live in, around Modesto."