High as a kite

On October 4, California Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill that legalized "beer bikes" on city streets. He did it while riding in a beer bike — you know, the kind where lots of people can pedal (and drink) on their way to the next bibulous establishment. "It's true that people were running beer bike operations in cities like San Diego before they were strictly legal," noted the governor. "But in some fashion, they paved the way. They made it clear that people wanted this. They also proved that it could be done safely. All that remained was for government to step in and set some standard for safety and accountability. Really, it's the way democracy ought to work."

Now, San Diego is hoping he feels the same way about drone-delivered marijuana. A company called Sky High has begun operating out of Skyline, sending medical marijuana to legitimate patients via high-altitude "mule drones."

"Many medical marijuana patients are, for one reason or another, house-bound," notes Sky High founder and CEO Bud Indica. "Sky High ensures the safe delivery of prepaid, pre-approved product to your doorstep. Our customers love it, though one or two have reported feeling nervous about the sound the drone makes when it descends, and the siren blast the drone uses to notify them of its arrival. I don't know what's up with that. But I'm not worried. I'm not worried about anything at all, really."

Maybe Indica is right not to worry: after all, he's got city hall on his side. "As you get older," says Mayor Mike Faulconer, "you realize that life really is just high school writ large. And just like in high school, it's easier to beg forgiveness than it is to ask permission. Especially when it comes to intoxicating substances. In this case, we're treating Sacramento like Mom and Dad, and hoping they don't get too angry. After all, it's worked before. If you asked me 10 years ago if people would ever be allowed to ride a bike through the Gaslamp while knocking back a cold one, I'd have said you were crazy. Now here we are."