Unlicensed cannabis dispensaries thrive in Fullerton WoMen’s Center still closed

Though the university’s administration said that it hoped that the WoMen’s and Adult Re-entry Center would reopen for the first week of classes, campus life will start without it and no exact location or reopening date has been announced.

The center, which had existed since 1972, held frequent mental health workshops and seminars in Gordon Hall, abruptly shut down in December. After outcries from students and faculty, the university announced a reopening and redesign in the spring, but details have been scarce. Daily Titan first disclosed the closure of the center in January.

With the reopening planned for this fall, university officials said it would be placed near the Diversity Initiatives and Resource Centers in the Pollak Library.

“We wanted to make sure that it was in an area that was easily accessible to students,” said Ellen Treanor, CSUF’s chief communications officer.

common evasive tactic used by unlicensed dispensaries.

“This happens over and over again. it seems like we’re just playing whack-a-mole, and to some degree we are,” said Mayor Fred Jung of Fullerton.

Though illegal within the city, several cannabis dispensaries operate openly in Fullerton. Most of these businesses are easily searchable online, and some are located only a few miles from City Hall.

Fullerton Exotics, an unlicensed dispensary that operated at 922 Williamson Avenue since at least November of 2021, was declared a public nuisance by the city, had its power cut, and was declared unsafe for occupancy. Despite this, it was soon operating just a few miles away, at 110 Ash Avenue. This is a

Cannabis shops are a significant source of tax revenue for nearly 190 California cities, according to state regulators, but Fullerton is reluctant to legalize and regulate them. Last year, Santa Ana earned $20 million from cannabis-related taxes. Meanwhile, Fullerton is expecting a deficit of $5 million in the 2022-2023 fiscal year and is considering handing over its city fire department, founded in 1908, to the county to cut costs.

Fullerton prohibited dispensaries within the city following the passage of Proposition 64 in 2016, which made recreational cannabis legal statewide. In November 2020, the city adopted an ordinance that would allow several dispensaries to open, but rescinded it in February 2021 due to resident complaints.

“I am just concerned we are trying to go along with what other people, other cities are doing, and Fullerton’s a very unique city, I’d like to keep it that way,” said Maureen Flynn-Becerra, who said she taught the anti-drug DARE program for the Fullerton Police Department. “What would we lose as a city, as families, as a community, by supporting an ordinance like this?”

“People, Fullerton residents, care about getting our financial house in order, they care about fixing our roads and streets, and this is not going to do that,” said City Council member Nick Dunlap. “The fact that there’s no residential buffer to some of the most, I think, at-risk neighborhoods in the city, is a complete disrespect to the residents of our city, and this is not something that I could support.”.

In April 2021, the city launched a $72,000 pilot program to combat unlicensed cannabis shops, fining cannabis businesses and the property owners who lease storefronts to them.

Although possessing cannabis is legal statewide, cities must create ordinances to set specific rules for related businesses. Regulations typically include rules about where and when these shops can operate.

No specific date has been given, but Treanor estimated a probable reopening in mid fall, attributing the delay to renovations in the library.

Exact hours of operations for the center are yet to be announced, but will likely follow the hours of the Pollak Library, Treanor said. Funding for the center will be provided via student fees and donations.

Along with a new location, the center will get a new name -- also not yet determined.

“It was originally called the WoMen’s Reentry center for women that were coming back to school. So I think the intention here is to have it focused more on all women identified students, rather than just people who are coming back after a hiatus from education,” Treanor said.