About Drivon Consulting

Drivon Consulting was founded to create opportunities for our clients through local policy reform advocacy. By forging a path for permits and State licenses through securing project approvals, and advocating for support from municipal leadership, we have exclusively represented traditional cannabis business operators and startups entering the regulated marketplace for nearly a decade.

Through hosting facility tours, developing rapport between cannabis businesses, executive government staff, and elected officials, and establishing our clients as subject matter experts, at DC, we have developed and refined a winning strategy for our clients.

By engaging local leaders to establish an understanding of mutual opportunities and challenges to business development and prioritizing solutions through collaboration, we remain on the cutting edge of local cannabis policy. This approach has produced winning results, with over 40 project approvals across 10+ different local jurisdictions in California. We continue to offer our experience and expertise to clients who are looking to further develop, expand, optimize their business operations, and maximize their potential.

Comprehensive Representation and Advocacy

Many of our clients have been the “first to be approved” in several jurisdictions. We continue to work with local leaders to push permit and policy amendments as the statewide cannabis market evolves. Interface with local and State regulators may include but is not limited to:

• Pre-Application Meetings and Presentations to executive staff and leadership
• Lobbying local government officials for support of projects
• Communication with department representatives from Community Development and Planning, Environmental Health, Building Departments, Departments of Agriculture, and Local Fire Departments
• Representation of applicants in public approval and administrative hearings
• Continuing advocacy for regulatory amendments and tax reform to support a healthy regulatory and economic environment for cannabis business operations

Jurisdictions of Proven Advocacy Success

Jurisdictions in which Drivon Consulting has advocated include but are not limited to:

• State of California
• County of San Joaquin
• County of Calaveras
• County of Stanislaus
• County of El Dorado
• City of Stockton
• City of Modesto
• City of Fresno
• City of Antioch
• City of Ceres
• City of Riverbank
• City of Atwater
• City of Oakdale
• City of Manteca
• City of Chula Vista
• City of Merced
• City of Turlock
• City of Patterson

Navigating Complex Political Landscapes

For better or worse, the development of cannabis regulations, authorization of licenses and permits, the development of selection and approval criteria, the application of selection criteria and awarding permits, as well as the administration and enforcement of local regulations can involve political forces that must be navigated.

Local Policy Reform Advocacy

To create opportunities to develop legal cannabis business operations, local regulations must be in place to accommodate State licensure, due to the ‘local’ authorization requirement set by the Department of Cannabis Control.

Initially, operators seeking legitimacy in the cannabis business space were forced to chart their own course in advocating for local regulation.

The Genesis of Local Policy Reform in California’s Central Valley

In 2016, with no local regulations in place to accommodate cannabis entrepreneurs seeking opportunities in the regulated space, Zach Drivon set out to establish cannabis policy reform as an advisor to traditional California cannabis business operators. With a professional background in criminal defense, diverse cultural roots, and a rich family legacy in the legal field as a third-generation attorney in Stockton, California, Drivon led the campaign leading to the adoption of one of the first local cannabis business ordinances in Northern California, Stockton’s Measure P. Structured as a citizen ballot initiative, Drivon engaged with industry stakeholders, City Council Members, and senior staff to advance the placement of Measure P onto the ballot for Stockton voters alongside Prop 64. As Chairman of the Yes on Measure P Campaign, Drivon worked on behalf of operators seeking to transition from the collective model into the regulated cannabis business space, influencing revisions that eliminated business pre-requisites that would have otherwise restricted new entrants to the space.

Through hosting facility tours for local elected and executive staff from across Central California, Measure P’s passage served as the catalyst for policy reform across the region, creating opportunities for some of the first legally permitted cannabis businesses in the State.

Transitioning Existing Operations to Legal Cannabis Businesses

Building upon the success in advancing cannabis regulation in Stockton, we continued to represent our clients to affect the adoption of local regulations and the grandfathering of existing operations into the cannabis regulatory program then under development in Stanislaus County. By working with local regulators to demonstrate the expertise and practical guidance offered by our firm and our clients’ operational and technical expertise, Drivon Consulting established itself and its clientele as subject matter experts. This positioned our clients best for selection to be approved for the limited number of licenses available in multiple jurisdictions across the San Joaquin Valley. From one project approved in 2017 in Stockton, to five projects approved between 2018-2019 in Stanislaus County, the wave of cannabis regulation development and subsequent project approvals for our clients played an integral part in the evolution of our firm and the continual expansion and refinement of our services.

With every hurdle presented along the path to approval, we saw opportunities, challenges to overcome, and goals for achieving success on behalf of our clients.

Continuing Advocacy and Strategic Support

The path to success in the cannabis industry continues to be rife with challenges, including regulatory amendments that improve conditions benefiting cannabis businesses, local government representatives overseeing regulation, and the communities in which cannabis businesses operate. These include:

• Refinement of operational standards for safety and security
• Eliminating duplicative taxation and development fees for vertically integrated businesses
• Amendment of financial terms in development agreements
• Advocacy for favorable cannabis tax structures
• Approval of permit transfers from original owners to new investors and entrepreneurs

By forging this path, Drivon Consulting developed expertise in representing cannabis businesses, shaping local regulations, advocating for project approvals, overseeing development, and refining compliance strategies. We continue to protect and maintain the path we’ve created to ensure our clients’ ongoing success and business expansion.

Contact us now to learn more about our services.