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 with support from municipal leadership, we have exclusively represented traditional cannabis business operators and startups entering the regulated marketplace for over a decade.

The rapport we’ve helped develop between cannabis operators, executive government staff, and elected officials led to the development of a winning strategy: establishing our clients as subject matter experts best positioned for approval to develop legal cannabis operations.

Our Strategic Approach

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, and optimize their business operations and maximize their potential.

With many clients having been “1st to be approved” in several jurisdictions, we continue to work with local leaders to push permit and policy amendments as the statewide cannabis market landscape evolves.

Services Offered

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 at Public Approval and Administrative Hearing(s)
• Continuing advocacy for regulatory amendments and tax reform to support a healthy regulatory and economic environment for cannabis business operations

Jurisdictions Served

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 Political Forces

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

Local Policy Reform Advocacy

In order 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 in place by the Department of Cannabis Control.

In the beginning, 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 citizens’ 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 prerequisites 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 opportunity for some of the first legally permitted cannabis businesses in the State.

Transitioning Existing Operations

Building upon the success in advancing cannabis regulation in the City of Stockton, we continued to represent our clients to affect the adoption of local regulations and ultimately 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, as well as the operational and technical expertise of our clients, Drivon Consulting established ourselves and our network of clientele as subject matter experts, best poised 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 in 2018-2019 in Stanislaus County, the wave of development of cannabis regulations and subsequent project approvals for our clients played an integral part in the evolution of our firm and the continual expansion and refinement of the scope and quality of our services.

Continuing Advocacy & Future Outlook

The path to success in the cannabis industry continues to be rife with challenges, including affecting regulatory amendments to improve circumstances that not only benefit cannabis businesses themselves but also the local government representatives charged with overseeing regulation, as well as the communities in which cannabis businesses operate. These include refinement of operational standards for safety and security, eliminating duplicative taxation and application of development fees for vertically integrated businesses, amending financial terms in development agreements, advocating favorable cannabis tax structures, and approval of permit transfers.

Forging this path developed DC’s expertise in representation of cannabis businesses by shaping local regulations, advocating for project approvals, overseeing project development, and refining compliance strategies to facilitate the full transition of both new and existing operations into the regulated market. We continue to protect and maintain the path we’ve helped create for our clients to ensure their ongoing success and expansion of their businesses.

Contact us now to learn more about our services.