Santa Cruz Police Department Policy Manual
re. Medical Marijuana

POLICY 452.5.2 GUIDELINES FOR THE LAWFUL OPERATION OF A COOPERATIVE OR COLLECTIVE:

Collectives and cooperatives should be organized with sufficient structure to ensure security, nondiversion of marijuana to illicit markets, and compliance with all state and local laws. The following are some suggested guidelines and practices for operating collective growing operations to help ensure lawful operation.

1. NonProfit Operation:
   Nothing in Proposition 215 or the MMP authorizes collectives, cooperatives, or individuals to profit from the sale or distribution of marijuana. (See, e.g., 11362.765(a) ["nothing in this section shall authorizeany individual or group to cultivate or distribute marijuana for profit"].

2. Business Licenses, Sales Tax, and Seller's Permits:
   The State Board of Equalization has determined that medical marijuana transactions are subject to sales tax, regardless of whether the individual or group makes a profit, and those engaging in transactions involving medical marijuana must obtain a Seller's Permit. Some cities and countries also require dispensing collectives and cooperatives to obtain business licenses.

3. Membership Application and Verification:
   When a primary caregiver wises to join a collective or cooperative, the group can help prevent the diversion of marijuana for nonmedical use by having potential members complete a written membership application. The following application guidelines should be followed to help ensure that marijuana grown for medical use is not diverted to illicit markets:

   1. Verify the individual's status as a qualified patient or primary caregiver. Unless he or she has a valid medical marijuana identification card, this should involve personal contact with the recommending physician (or his or her agent), verification of the physician's identity, as well as his or her state licensing status. Verification of primary caregiver status should include contact with the qualified patient, as well as validation of the patient's recommendation. Copies should be made of the physician's recommendation or identification card, if any;

   2. Have the individual agree not to distribute marijuana to nonmembers;

   3. Have the individual agree not to use the marijuana for other than medical purposes;

   4. Maintain membership records onsite or have them reasonably available;

   5. Track when members' medical marijuana recommendation and/or identification cards expire; and

   6. Enforce conditions of membership by excluding members whose identification card or physician recommendation are invalid or have expired, or who are caught diverting marijuana for nonmedical use.

4. Collectives Should Acquire, Possess, and Distribute Only Lawfully Cultivated Marijuana:
   Collectives and cooperatives should acquire marijuana only from their constituent members, because only marijuana grown by a qualified patient or his or her primary caregiver may lawfully be transported by, or distributed to, other members of a collective or cooperative. (¤¤ 11362.765, 11362.775.) The collective or cooperative may then allocate it to other members of the group. Nothing allows marijuana to be purchased from outside the collective or cooperative for distribution to its members. Instead, the cycle should be closed circuit of marijuana cultivation and consumption with no purchases or sales to or from nonmembers. To help prevent diversion of medical marijuana to nonmedical markets, collectives and cooperatives should document each member's contribution of labor, resources, or money to the enterprise. They should also track and record the source of their marijuana.

5. Distribution and Sales to Nonmembers are Prohibited:
   State law allows primary caregivers to be reimbursed for certain services (including marijuana cultivation), but nothing allows individuals or groups to sell or distribute marijuana to nonmembers. Accordingly, a collective or cooperative may not distribute medical marijuana to any person who is not a member in good standing of the organization. A dispensing collective or cooperative may credits its members for marijuana they provide to the collective, which it may then allocate to other members. (¤ 11362.765(c).) Members also may reimburse the collective or cooperative for marijuana that has been allocated to them. Any monetary reimbursement that members provide to the collective or cooperative should only be an amount necessary to cover overhead costs and operating expenses.

6. Permissible Reimbursements and Allocations:
   Marijuana grown at a collective or cooperative for medical purposes may be:

   1. Provided free to qualified patients and primary caregivers who are members of the collective or cooperative:

   2. Provided in exchange for services rendered to the entity:

   3. Allocated based on fees that are reasonably calculated to cover overhead costs and operating expenses; or

   4. Any combination of the above.

7. Possession and Cultivation Guidelines:
   If a person is acting as primary caregiver to more than one patient under section 11362.7(d)(2), he or she may aggregate the possession and cultivation limits for each patient. For example, applying the MMP's basic possession guidelines, if a caregiver is responsible for three patients, he or she may possess up to 24 oz. of marijuana (8 oz. per patient) and may grow 18 mature or 36 immature plants. Similarly, collectives and cooperatives may cultivate and transport marijuana in aggregate amounts tied to its membership numbers. Any patient or primary caregiver exceeding individual possession guidelines should have supporting records readily available when:

   1. Operating a location for cultivation;

   2. Transporting the group's medical marijuana; and

   3. Operating a location for distribution to members of the collective or cooperative.

8. Security:
   Collectives and cooperatives should provide adequate security to ensure that patients are safe and that the surrounding homes or businesses are not negatively impacted by nuisance activity such as loitering or crime. Further, to maintain security, prevent fraud, and deter robberies, collectives or cooperatives should keep accurate records and follow accepted cash handling practices, including regular bank runs and cash drops, and maintain a general ledge of cash transactions.

452.5.3 ENFORCEMENT GUIDELINES:

Depending upon the facts and circumstances, deviations from the guidelines outlined above, or other indicia that marijuana is not for medical use, may give rise to probable cause for arrest and seizure. The following are additional guidelines to help identify medical marijuana collectives and cooperatives that are operating outside of state law.

1. Storefront Dispensaries: Although medical marijuana "dispensaries" have been operating in California for years, dispensaries, as such, are not recognized under the law. As noted above, the only recognized group entities are cooperatives and collectives. (¤ 11362.775.) It is the opinion of this Office that a properly organized and operated collective or cooperative that dispenses medical marijuana through a storefront may be lawful under California law, but that dispensaries that do not substantially comply with the guidelines set froth in sections IV(A) and (B), above, are likely operating outside the protections of Proposition 215 and MMP, and that the individuals operating such entities may be subject to arrest and criminal prosecution under California law. For example, dispensaries that merely require patients to complete a form summarily designating the business owner as their primary caregiver - and then offering marijuana in exchange for cash "donations" - are likely unlawful. (Peron, supra, 59 Cal.App.4th at p. 1400 [cannabis club owner was not the primary caregiver to thousands of patients where he did not consistently assume responsibility for their housing, health, or safety].)

2. Indicia of Unlawful Operation: When investigating collectives or cooperatives, law enforcement officers should be alert for signs of mass production or illegal sales, including

   1. excessive amounts of marijuana,
   2. excessive amounts of cash,
   3. failure to follow local and state laws applicable to similar businesses, such as maintenance of any required licenses and payment of any required taxes, including sales taxes,
   4. weapons,
   5. illicit drugs,
   6. purchases from, or sales or distribution to, nonmembers, or
   7. distribution outside of California.