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Local smoke-shop owners urge Elgin for grace period or hemp licensing after enforcement actions
Summary
Multiple local retailers told the council they face large inventory losses after recent enforcement decisions limiting hemp/Delta products and asked for a grace period or a special hemp retail license to avoid business closures and layoffs.
Several Elgin small-business owners used the public-comment period on March 12 to press the council for relief after recent enforcement actions that restrict sale of certain hemp/Delta products. Commenters said they face large unsellable inventories and asked the city for a temporary grace period to sell existing stock or to create a specialty license that would permit regulated hemp retail.
Paul Patel said the council’s prior action caused his revenue to drop ‘‘40 to 50%’’ and asked whether the city could grant ‘‘at least 6 months or so kind of grace period to get rid of our inventory because we have 20 to 30,000 or $40,000 worth inventory in the stores, which we cannot throw it away.’’ Another speaker said she had ‘‘over 100,120 thousand dollars in inventory right now’’ and urged the city to allow specialty hemp licenses comparable to dispensary licensing so small retailers could remain viable.
A third commenter, Julian Newsom, said his shop holds about $50,000 in Delta products and warned that rapid enforcement could force him into bankruptcy and eliminate six employees. Commenters argued their products are state- and federally-legal hemp products and said they were being treated unfairly.
Council did not take action on the substance of these appeals during the meeting. The public-comment speakers asked the council to reconsider enforcement timing or to consider licensing options to prevent forced closures and layoffs.
Ending: Retailers requested either a temporary enforcement grace period or a regulated hemp specialty license; the council did not vote on those requests at the March 12 meeting.
