The Sacramento City Council approved an ordinance allowing the licensed cultivation of marijuana within the city limits.
The vote came late Tuesday night after much debate between both council members and local residents. The meeting was well attended, with members of the public lined up to enter the packed city hall room at the start of the meeting.
The ordinance, which passed by a 5-3 vote, will allow pot growers to apply for conditional use licenses to legally operate in the city.
Potential licensees would need to include a neighborhood responsibility plan to gauge how their business would impact their surrounding communities. Council members said that plan will likely involve the contribution of a 1 percent tax on gross annual revenue to its neighborhood, though those details are still being discussed. That fee would be in addition to the citys regular 4 percent business tax.
Other regulations mandate that dispensaries operate only in enclosed buildings. By state law, they could not be within 600 feet of a school.
The ordinances passage comes less than a month after Proposition 64, which allows for the recreational use of marijuana, was approved by California voters.
Councilman Jay Schenirer crafted the ordinance and urged other council members to approve the plan, saying it was a necessary step needed to ensure the city regulated the industry and protected local communities.
What we are doing I think, is choosing to be responsible, Schenirer said. Choosing to regulate an industry that currently exists, and as some of the speakers said, is not going away.
Council members Allen Warren, Angelique Ashby and Jeff Harris were vocal of their concerns with the ordinance, with Harris calling the plan half baked. They called for more detailed criteria for where the cultivation businesses would be allowed, as well as a better understanding of the costs related to allowing such business to operate.
I just dont see this equation turning out well for the communities across our city, Ashby said.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker
Full Article: Sacramento City Council Approves Hotly Debated Marijuana Cultivation Ordinance
Author: Nashelly Chavez
Contact: (916) 321-1000
Photo Credit: Flickr
Website: The Sacramento Bee
