Each and every violation of the provisions of this article may at the discretion of the district attorney or city attorney be prosecuted as an infraction or misdemeanor and upon conviction be subject to imprisonment in the county jail for a period of not more than six months, or both such fine and imprisonment. Each commercial cannabis business may be cited for any violation of any law and/or any rule, regulation and/or standard adoption pursuant to this article. A fine not to exceed $10,000 for the first violation, $15,000 for the second violation and revocation of the permit for a period of two years after which time the business operator would have to reapply. The fine for operating an unlicensed and/or unpermitted commercial cannabis business shall be $30,000 per day and the issuance of a notice to appear in court. Each day a violation is committed or permitted to continue shall constitute a separate offense. At the discretion of the city manager or his or her designee, higher or lower fines or penalties may be recommended based on the facts of individual cases where generally supported by aggravating or mitigating circumstances. Aggravating factors may include, but are not limited to: prior disciplinary history, nature and severity of the act(s), violations, offenses, or crime(s) under consideration, actual or potential harm to the public, actual or potential harm to any consumer, prior warning letters, licensee involvement, premises in high crime area, lack of cooperation by licensee in investigation, appearance and actual age of minor, continuing course or pattern of conduct. Mitigating factors may include, but are not limited to: length of licensure at subject location without prior discipline problems, positive action by licensee to correct problem, documented training of licensee and employees and cooperation by licensee in investigation.
(Ord. No. 2960, 2965, 2981, 2994, 3032)