Robert Celt
New Member
New regulations that prompted Paradise officials to ban medical marijuana in town limits will only have a minor effect at the county level.
"It is my understanding of the new rules from California, that a county or municipality that had regulations on marijuana didn't have to do any extra steps," Doug Teeter, Butte County Fifth District Supervisor, said.
The county already bans dispensaries and also has an ordinance regulating cultivation.
The county allows marijuana gardens of 50, 100 and 150 square feet depending on the parcel size. The new regulations require marijuana gardens larger than 100 square feet to be registered with the state.
"There will be some refinements to the ordinance," Tim Snellings, Butte County Development Services Director, said. "Butte County already has a fairly prohibitive ordinance."
One thing that needs to be refined could save the county time and money in the long run. The new laws define marijuana as agriculture, a category protected by "right to farm" laws, Snellings said. Right to farm laws outline what constitutes a nuisance, he said. Farmers are generally exempt from complaints about dust, lighting, noise and other issues associated with farming, he said.
"We are going to remove marijuana from (right to farm exemptions)," he said. "The county already has a marijuana ordinance that sets the framework of what constitutes a nuisance. We don't want to get into a claim that falls into the right to farm area."
Snellings said the county doesn't have any regulations regarding delivery so that will have to be refined as well. State law makes it clear, he said, that if someone is delivering between two jurisdictions that approve of medical marijuana, the county has no authority to act.
He said he will bring a full report regarding the issue to the Board of Supervisors meeting on Jan. 12, along with his recommendations to amend the ordinance.
Paradise Town Manager Lauren Gill said that while it is true that municipalities that already have regulations don't have to go through any extra steps, Paradise only had some regulations in place.
The town also doesn't regulate deliveries, which is proposed to be added to Paradise's new ordinance. Gill said the town already bans dispensaries and the town council may decide to reconsider the town's growing regulations as well. With the new laws taking effect on Friday, Gill said it was appropriate to bring the matter before the council.
Snellings said there is some work to be done to ensure the new marijuana laws are clearly understood and implemented and the discussion isn't going to stop anytime soon.
"We're going to have to do a good job of educating the public on how all this is really going to work."
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: California: New Pot Regulations Have Minor Effect On County
Author: Trevor Warner
Contact: Digital First Media
Photo Credit: None found
Website: Paradise Post
"It is my understanding of the new rules from California, that a county or municipality that had regulations on marijuana didn't have to do any extra steps," Doug Teeter, Butte County Fifth District Supervisor, said.
The county already bans dispensaries and also has an ordinance regulating cultivation.
The county allows marijuana gardens of 50, 100 and 150 square feet depending on the parcel size. The new regulations require marijuana gardens larger than 100 square feet to be registered with the state.
"There will be some refinements to the ordinance," Tim Snellings, Butte County Development Services Director, said. "Butte County already has a fairly prohibitive ordinance."
One thing that needs to be refined could save the county time and money in the long run. The new laws define marijuana as agriculture, a category protected by "right to farm" laws, Snellings said. Right to farm laws outline what constitutes a nuisance, he said. Farmers are generally exempt from complaints about dust, lighting, noise and other issues associated with farming, he said.
"We are going to remove marijuana from (right to farm exemptions)," he said. "The county already has a marijuana ordinance that sets the framework of what constitutes a nuisance. We don't want to get into a claim that falls into the right to farm area."
Snellings said the county doesn't have any regulations regarding delivery so that will have to be refined as well. State law makes it clear, he said, that if someone is delivering between two jurisdictions that approve of medical marijuana, the county has no authority to act.
He said he will bring a full report regarding the issue to the Board of Supervisors meeting on Jan. 12, along with his recommendations to amend the ordinance.
Paradise Town Manager Lauren Gill said that while it is true that municipalities that already have regulations don't have to go through any extra steps, Paradise only had some regulations in place.
The town also doesn't regulate deliveries, which is proposed to be added to Paradise's new ordinance. Gill said the town already bans dispensaries and the town council may decide to reconsider the town's growing regulations as well. With the new laws taking effect on Friday, Gill said it was appropriate to bring the matter before the council.
Snellings said there is some work to be done to ensure the new marijuana laws are clearly understood and implemented and the discussion isn't going to stop anytime soon.
"We're going to have to do a good job of educating the public on how all this is really going to work."
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: California: New Pot Regulations Have Minor Effect On County
Author: Trevor Warner
Contact: Digital First Media
Photo Credit: None found
Website: Paradise Post
