Approval of Measure M could bring over $300,000 to Pacific Grove per year

PACIFIC GROVE, Calif (KION-TV)- A cannabis business may be able to operate in Pacific Grove if voters this November vote to pass Measure M.

Voting 'yes' on Measure M, will give the city council the nod to move forward and amend the city’s municipal code to allow the sale of cannabis with geographic restrictions.

However, the measure is non-binding.

Councilmember members Chaps Poduri and Tina Rau are arguing in favor of approving Measure M. They believe Pacific Grove is missing out on a source of revenue when people from Pacific Grove drive to dispensaries across the Peninsula. They estimate that having a cannabis business within city limits could bring in $300,000 annually.

Big Sur Canna + Botanicals in Carmel gets customers from all over the area and is able to track how much revenue could have stayed in Pacific Grove.

“Over the past five years, it’s almost 2,000 people. So that’s quite a few members,” said general manager Lorielle Wright.

People spend an average of nearly $90 per purchase, which is roughly $180,000 over a five-year period per customer. And that’s just one store.

However, people like Kevin Hanley believe the city has a lot to lose for a razor-thin increase in revenue. Hanley is worried about the council's integrity, which he says could be manipulated by a cannabis monopoly.

“I’m just worried that if we put a monopoly pot shop in town, it’s going to hurt the businesses. Sixty-two percent of cities and counties in California do not allow pot shops in their town, and they do it for a reason. Because if you visit towns with the pot shops, you find a lot of blight around them. No other businesses want to be next to a high-security pot shop,” said Hanley.