Riverside County, CA – Recreational use of marijuana among adults 21 years and over in California will be legal as of Jan. 1, but Riverside County supervisors decided Tuesday not to modify regulations prohibiting the commercial cultivation and sale of cannabis in unincorporated communities, opting instead to revisit the issue again in March.
"Between now and March, other counties and cities will be farther along with this and may help us decide on a model and whether to continue our ban or regulate, and to what extent," County Counsel Greg Priamos told the Board of Supervisors. "By March, we should have information on the impacts to county departments."
In response to a board directive, Priamos and Deputy County Counsel Tiffany North submitted a detailed analysis of the changes in state law stemming from Proposition 64, the Adult Use of Marijuana Act, approved by voters on Nov. 8.
The board unanimously opposed the initiative in September but was aware it had strong support based on polling data.
According to the Office of County Counsel’s report, most of the county’s existing regulations prohibiting the cultivation and use of marijuana are not automatically undone by Prop 64.
County Ordinance No. 928 does not permit mobile marijuana dispensaries to operate in unincorporated areas, and Ordinance No. 925, authored by Supervisor Kevin Jeffries, permits medical marijuana patients and their caregivers to cultivate up to 24 cannabis plants on private property, though all cultivation is prohibited within 1,000 feet of schools, parks and daycare centers. Growers are also required to have their pot plants hidden from view, in secure locations.
Priamos and North noted that Prop 64 conflicts with local prohibitions against general recreational use, making it advisable to amend the county’s ordinances to acknowledge that personal marijuana grows limited to six plants per individual are permitted.
However, the county is under no obligation to nullify its prohibition against commercial cannabis cultivation and sales, the attorneys said.
Representatives from the Southern California Responsible Growers Council, a pro-cannabis farming group, urged the board Tuesday to consider dropping its anti-cultivation stance, highlighting the potential economic benefits, including jobs and sales tax revenue growth.
"If we do allow this, should it be outdoor only, or perhaps indoor only? Should we permit only solar energy for the plants?" Jeffries wondered. "There are a ton of questions."
If the board decided to allow commercial grows and sales, any proposed tax would have to first be approved by the board, then be put to county voters for approval.
The board tentatively scheduled public hearings on any proposed changes to local regulations for March 14.
Coachella, Palm Springs, Desert Hot Springs and Cathedral City currently permit medical marijuana-related sales. In anticipation of the passage of Prop 64, voters in Cathedral and Coachella approved new general marijuana activities taxes, along with Perris and San Jacinto, according to the Office of County Counsel.
The following area cities currently ban marijuana cultivation and sales: Banning, Calimesa, Corona, Hemet, Indian Wells, Indio, Menifee, Moreno Valley, Palm Desert, Riverside and Wildomar.
In September, the supervisors expressed a tentative interest in taxing cannabis purchases. Supervisor Marion Ashley compared a pot tax to a cigarette tax. All board members doubted there would be assistance from the state in combating rising levels of drug abuse and crime under the new law, so taxation could be the only revenue-generating source available to cover enforcement programs.
California led the way in cultivation and use of medical marijuana with the passage in 1996 of the California Compassionate Use Act, also known as Proposition 215.
Localities can regulate the conditions under which grows are established and the responsibilities of the parties involved, according to statutes passed by the Legislature and signed into law in 2004 and 2010.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration still views marijuana as a Schedule 1 narcotic prohibited under the federal Controlled Substances Act. Jeffries pointed out that President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, is "hostile" to the marijuana growing industry, potentially creating unknown ramifications for California and other states.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker
Full Article: Supervisors To Consider Changes To Marijuana Regulations In Riverside County
Author: Staff
Contact: Murrieta Patch
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Website: Murrieta Patch
