The Campbell City Council wants to have all the information it can get before calling a special election or adopting an ordinance that proposes lifting some medical marijuana regulations in the city.
The council received a report from the city clerk on Dec. 6 detailing a petitioners plan that, if approved by voters or adopted by the council, would allow the dispensing, delivery and cultivation of medical marijuana within the city. The council voted to request an informational report of impacts to the city and residents if the plan were approved or adopted.
In March the council approved an ordinance banning the cultivation, delivery and dispensing of medicinal marijuana within city limits. Since then, a group called Keep Campbell Green has worked on a ballot initiative that would reverse the ordinance and allow dispensaries, delivery and limited cultivation in specific areas of the city.
The groups initiative proposes the city allow dispensaries in manufacturing and planned development zones, the delivery of medical marijuana from dispensaries to a patient or caregiver and the cultivation of no more 100 square feet for patients and 500 square feet for caregivers.
Keep Campbell Green circulated a petition earlier this year that gathered enough signatures for the Nov. 8 ballot. However, due to text errors in the initiative documents the petition was rejected by the city clerk in May, according to city staff.
After the rejection, the group went back to collecting signatures that would call for a special election in 2017 or for the council to adopt its initiative as written.
According city clerk Wendy Wood, city staff has 30 days from the Dec. 6 meeting to give the council the report addressing fiscal impacts and effects of the proposed ordinance.
The council will receive the report by Jan. 5 and has 10 days to either call a special election or adopt the drafted ordinance as written.
We obviously want as much time as we can get to prepare for a special election, Councilman Paul Resnikoff said during the meeting.
According to the staff report, a special election would cost the city $429,702, and an additional $35,600 to $71,200 if the council decides to place one or two competing measures on the ballot.
Even in light of California voters approving Prop. 64, which legalizes recreational marijuana, there are key differences in how medical and recreational marijuana use and cultivation will be regulated. Recreational marijuana is restricted to up to six plants and can only be grown indoors.
Petitioners in Campbell are proposing both outdoor and indoor cultivation, with space measured by square footage and based on whether a user is a patient or a caregiver.
In addition, recreational marijuana users cannot purchase from a dispensary specifically designated for medical marijuana users, where a medical marijuana card is required, said Wood.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker
Full Article: Campbell Council May Call Special Election Or Adopt Marijuana Ordinance In January
Author: Jasmine Leyva
Contact: 408-920-5000
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: The Mercury
