Is Fresno leading California in handling of legal weed? See results of new report

The Public Health Institute just released its 2025 scorecard on the state of cannabis policy in California.

Among the takeaways: Fresno outperformed nearly every city.

Fresno scored 54 points on the evaluation, which looked at six areas of policymaking through the lens of protecting “youth, public health, and communities in the era of cannabis legalization.”

Fresno ranked just below Pomona, which led the state with 60 points, and well above the 23-point average for cities allowing retail storefronts.

“As more Californians live in communities that allow cannabis sales, local policy decisions increasingly shape who is exposed to risk and who is protected,” according to Alisa Padon, research director with Getting it Right from the Start, the group in charge of the evaluations. “These scorecards show how uneven protections remain across the state, and the science shows how much those choices matter.”

Fresno was slow to the retail cannabis game.

The city didn’t allow for retail sales until 2021, nearly five years after Prop. 64 legalized recreational marijuana in the state. It was five years of political arguments, public hearings, accusations of unfairness and lawsuits.

At the time, Fresno was the largest California city without brick-and-mortar recreational dispensaries.

It was another year before the first storefronts opened in Fresno and another two before dispensaries began to proliferate across town. As of last year, 15 of the city’s 21 licensed dispensaries were open and operating.

What’s in Fresno’s score?

Several polices in Fresno’s cannabis ordinance go beyond what is required by state law, according to the scorecard.

They include:

* A cap on the number of retailers. The city allows 21 dispensaries; three in each of its seven council districts.

* The citywide tax on retail sales (at 4% on gross recipes) with a portion of the revenue set aside for youth prevention and equity (10%, according to the city’s Office of Cannabis Oversight). The state does not require local jurisdictions to levy taxes. The statewide tax on retail cannabis is 15%.

* Restrictions on billboards and business signage.

* Prohibition of on-site consumption or events where cannabis will be consumed.

* A priority for equity in licensing and in hiring requirements.

Still, there are several categories in which Fresno offers nothing beyond what’s written into the state law. For instance, the city lacks requirements for health warnings posted in stores or on advertising, according to the report card. It also has few limits on the types of products that can be sold (for instance high-potency or flavored cannabis, or infused beverages).

Retailers can also offer discount prices, which can be a deciding factor for customers, if you trust Reddit postings.

Other Fresno County cities scored

Of five other Fresno County cities evaluated, Mendota scored the lowest, with 13 points. It was docked points for not requiring dispensaries to be more than 600 feet from schools.

Clovis, which only allows for legal cannabis via delivery, scored just 15 points. Other than requiring delivery companies to have a local permit and allowing for medical marijuana, the city scored zeros across the entirety of its scorecard.