Scotts Valley council directs mayor to draft letter opposing county proposal for cannabis consumption lounges

The Scotts Valley City Council voted to direct Mayor Tim to work with city staff to draft a letter opposing a proposed Santa Cruz County ordinance that would allow cannabis dispensaries to operate on-site consumption lounges.

Council members said the county proposal raises enforcement and public-safety concerns for the region, noting Scotts Valley’s winding roads, school routes and connections to Highway 17. Scott Garner, captain with the Scotts Valley Police Department, told the council that law enforcement lacks a widely accepted, objective test for marijuana impairment and that drug-impaired driving investigations require specially trained officers. “There’s no widely accepted equipment or legal standard to determine marijuana intoxication,” Garner said, adding that a certified drug-recognition expert requires several weeks of training and that drug-DUI investigations can take many more hours than alcohol DUIs.

The council also heard from the city attorney that the city’s own ordinances do not address dispensary regulation and that the council’s role was limited to deciding whether to take a position on the county proposal. “It would not be appropriate to talk about what we, the city, are doing in circumstances like this because it’s not related to our ordinances or anything,” the city attorney said. The written county request that prompted the discussion came from Supervisor Monica Martinez’s office and was circulated to Scotts Valley for comment.

Council members cited local road characteristics and student pedestrian and bicycle traffic as reasons for caution. Several speakers pointed to regional DUI data cited by the police captain: roughly 4.5 DUI arrests per day countywide and, in 2022, about 1,600 DUI arrests in Santa Cruz County, with hundreds of traffic collisions, injuries and fatalities tied to impaired driving. Councilmembers also noted the practical enforcement gap: unlike alcohol, there is not an equivalent breathalyzer or single numerical threshold that officers can rely on for marijuana impairment.

After discussion the council moved to direct the mayor to prepare a letter for the county. The motion text as read at the meeting was: “the council directs the mayor to work with staff to generate a letter in opposition of the county’s position in terms of marijuana lounges.” The motion was seconded, and the council approved it with one abstention.

The mayor and staff will draft the letter and return it to the county in advance of the county supervisors’ scheduled vote on the proposed ordinance. Council members asked that the letter emphasize enforcement limitations, road-safety risks near schools and major corridors, and the expedited timetable requested by the county.