Do they let it grow or nip it in the bud?
Thats the question facing Riverside County supervisors after California voters last month legalized the recreational use of marijuana. The county Board of Supervisors will have to decide whether to continue a ban on marijuana cultivation or allow pot-related businesses to operate legally and under what conditions.
On Tuesday, Dec. 6, supervisors received a report on the legal steps needed to keep the ban or allow pot commerce. A discussion of marijuanas financial effect on county government supervisors asked for a report back in September could resume in March.
Prop. 64 allows Californians to possess and grow marijuana for recreational purposes, subject to certain rules. Medical marijuana has been legal in the state since the mid-1990s.
While Prop. 64 allows those 21 and older to smoke marijuana and keep plants in their homes, cities and counties are allowed to ban dispensaries, grow operations and similar businesses within their jurisdictions. Riverside County has direct land-use authority over unincorporated areas that arent part of a city.
In 2015, supervisors clarified and strengthened an existing zoning ban on marijuana cultivation in unincorporated communities. Supervisor Kevin Jeffries spearheaded the changes to crack down on open-air marijuana grows causing problems in the countys rural areas.
With Prop. 64 on the books, the countys legal team wrote that supervisors will have to decide if they want to amend the ban to clarify that it applies to medical and non-medical marijuana. The ban also would have to incorporate Prop. 64s provisions, such as one allowing adult to grow up to six plants in their home.
If supervisors go the other way, the ban would have to be changed or repealed and development standards and conditions for land-use permits need to be created, the countys lawyers said. Supervisors also would have to consider whether to impose a local tax on marijuana sales, and that tax requires voter approval.
Its a lot to consider for the five supervisors, several of whom have expressed misgivings about legalized pot.
I dont think we need another intoxicant in our society, Supervisor John Benoit said in September.
Marijuana remains illegal under federal law. And Jeffries noted that Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, who is Donald Trumps pick for U.S. attorney general, might crack down on the drug. Sessions has reportedly said Good people dont smoke marijuana.
At least one group wants the county to embrace a legal marijuana business model.
Anthony Wagner, executive director of the Southern California Responsible Growers Council, a group of about 30 farmers and business owners that advocates for a properly regulated and taxed marijuana industry, appeared before the board Tuesday to ask for a path forward to grow marijuana in rural residential and agricultural areas.
The council issued a news release that included comments from Micah Anderson, who hopes to grow marijuana in Riverside County.
The bottom line is that the farming aspect of this industry is evolving fast, Anderson is quoted as saying. And we want to ensure that it does so in a way that is acceptable and beneficial to communities and that our farmers are afforded the same opportunities as other agricultural enterprises.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker
Full Article: Riverside County Faces Decision – Ban Or Regulate Marijuana?
Author: Jeff Horseman
Contact: (951) 684-1200
Photo Credit: Kurt Miller
Website: The Press Enterprise
