Sonoma County Cannabis Manifesto

Sonoma County Cannabis exists to advance the cannabis industry throughout Sonoma County. As stewards of the plant, we are necessarily stewards of the industry it sustains, and we act in ways that strengthen that industry as a whole rather than any single participant within it. Our interests are interdependent. The era of withheld information, defensive posturing, and barriers to entry is behind us.

Our Principles

We believe in transparency over concealment. Information that strengthens one operator strengthens all of us, and we share it accordingly.

We believe in openness — to new ideas, to sound innovation, and to opportunities not yet recognized. Openness is the foundation on which a durable industry is built.

We believe in abundance rather than scarcity, and in building an industry that is equitable, inclusive, and open to meaningful participation.

We believe in honoring the legacy of those who cultivated this plant before legalization, and in drawing on their experience to address the challenges ahead.

We believe in the value of diverse perspectives in shaping the standards and best practices that will define this industry's next generation. No participant can accomplish this alone; collaboration is a practical necessity as much as a principle.

We believe in engaging constructively with those outside the industry whose understanding of cannabis is still developing. Positions held in error can be corrected, and we extend the opportunity to correct them.

We believe that the success of any one operator advances the standing of the industry as a whole.

We believe in personal responsibility, and in a professional community where people of differing backgrounds and experience work together without prejudice, and where sincerity, ambition, and original thinking are recognized and rewarded.

We believe in accountability — to our members, to our regulators, and to the communities in which we operate.

We believe in expanding lawful access to this plant. In most cases that means operating within a regulated framework. This organization exists to serve businesses that choose to operate transparently and in compliance with local law, together with the ancillary businesses that support them.

We believe that individual efforts compound, and that shared experience creates possibilities unavailable to any of us working alone.

We believe in the plant, and we believe in one another.

Governance

Membership in Sonoma County Cannabis is conditioned on adherence to the principles set forth above. The organization reserves the right to revoke the membership of any party whose conduct is inconsistent with these principles, and to revise its practices as circumstances require, provided that any such revision remains consistent with them.