Jacob Redmond
Well-Known Member
On May 19, Riverside County supervisors will consider rules for growing medical marijuana.
If approved, a patient and a caregiver would be allowed to grow 12 plants apiece, though at least one of them must live on the property. They would need a valid Riverside County medical marijuana ID card and permission from their property owners to grow on the grounds.
What's more, the plants must be "reasonably secured" from minors and set back at least 10 feet from the property, 50 feet from nearby homes, so that the sticky icky isn't visible to passersby.
The proposed rules are intended to prioritize law enforcement resources away from small-time growers who rely on the plants for medicinal use. The effort has been spearheaded by Supervisor Kevin Jeffries, who's been complaining for at least a year now about large backyard growing operations in unincorporated areas.
In other words, patients and caregivers would be shielded while commercial enterprises remain the target of arrest, Supervisor Marion Ashley said. "People who play by the rules are not harassed."
The proposal has gotten an early endorsement from at least one desert activist. Lanny Swerdlow, a registered nurse and founder of the Marijuana Anti-Prohibition Project, wrote recently in his newsletter: "While many other city and county ordinances either totally ban cultivation or make it so restrictive that few can participate, Riverside County's is (a) bastion of common sense."
Still, Swerdlow is looking for feedback on a couple parts of the resolution, particularly the commandment that convicted felons cannot live on the same property where marijuana is being cultivated.
Pot is such a complicated issue in this state because the various layers of government have competing laws in place. Normally, an approved proposal in Riverside would force cities to follow suit, but even that is not clear in this case.
In Sacramento
Republican Assemblyman Chad Mayes broke with his caucus on a union-supported bill.
On March 24, he voted in favor of Assembly Bill 211, which puts the collective bargaining rights of all in-home support service workers - those who treat the blind, elderly and disabled where they live - into the hands of a statewide authority, starting in 2016.
During a Human Services Committee, Kristina Bas Hamilton, the legislative director for the UDW homecare union, testified that, despite the fears of some conservatives, the workers would not suddenly become state employees, and that wages/benefits would remain varied across regions - at least in the short term.
Rather, the bill requires that all 58 counties negotiate through the same statewide process, instead of the eight counties that are currently participating in a pilot project.
Mayes pointed out that the state already has the most skin in the IHSS game; supporting AB 211 was a simple matter of fairness.
When asked about breaking with the caucus, Mayes replied: "We said during the campaign and after that we don't care if it's a Democrat idea or a Republican idea. If it increases the quality of life for Californians or supports efficiencies in government, we're going to support it."
The only other Republican member of the committee, Brian Maienschein of San Diego, did not show up for the vote.
And In Congress
Rep. Raul Ruiz introduced two amendments last week, one that would help digitize veteran's benefits and relieve the backlog. As of April 25, more than 171,000 vets were waiting on claims that had been submitted more than 125 days prior, according to federal figures.
"Our work to clear this harmful backlog is not finished, and we owe it to these courageous men and women to do so as soon as possible," Ruiz said on the floor.
It easily passed with a simple voice vote - no doubt because it does not require new sources of funding. Rather, it reallocates $5 million already in the budget via the general operating expenses.
The same goes for the second amendment Ruiz introduced last week, which moves $5 million away from the study of fossil fuels and towards the study of drought mitigation in the West via the Bureau of Reclamation.
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: County considers rules for growing marijuana at home
Author: Jesse Marx
Contact: jesse.marx@desertsun.com
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: The Desert Sun | Palm Springs and Coachella Valley news | DesertSun.com
If approved, a patient and a caregiver would be allowed to grow 12 plants apiece, though at least one of them must live on the property. They would need a valid Riverside County medical marijuana ID card and permission from their property owners to grow on the grounds.
What's more, the plants must be "reasonably secured" from minors and set back at least 10 feet from the property, 50 feet from nearby homes, so that the sticky icky isn't visible to passersby.
The proposed rules are intended to prioritize law enforcement resources away from small-time growers who rely on the plants for medicinal use. The effort has been spearheaded by Supervisor Kevin Jeffries, who's been complaining for at least a year now about large backyard growing operations in unincorporated areas.
In other words, patients and caregivers would be shielded while commercial enterprises remain the target of arrest, Supervisor Marion Ashley said. "People who play by the rules are not harassed."
The proposal has gotten an early endorsement from at least one desert activist. Lanny Swerdlow, a registered nurse and founder of the Marijuana Anti-Prohibition Project, wrote recently in his newsletter: "While many other city and county ordinances either totally ban cultivation or make it so restrictive that few can participate, Riverside County's is (a) bastion of common sense."
Still, Swerdlow is looking for feedback on a couple parts of the resolution, particularly the commandment that convicted felons cannot live on the same property where marijuana is being cultivated.
Pot is such a complicated issue in this state because the various layers of government have competing laws in place. Normally, an approved proposal in Riverside would force cities to follow suit, but even that is not clear in this case.
In Sacramento
Republican Assemblyman Chad Mayes broke with his caucus on a union-supported bill.
On March 24, he voted in favor of Assembly Bill 211, which puts the collective bargaining rights of all in-home support service workers - those who treat the blind, elderly and disabled where they live - into the hands of a statewide authority, starting in 2016.
During a Human Services Committee, Kristina Bas Hamilton, the legislative director for the UDW homecare union, testified that, despite the fears of some conservatives, the workers would not suddenly become state employees, and that wages/benefits would remain varied across regions - at least in the short term.
Rather, the bill requires that all 58 counties negotiate through the same statewide process, instead of the eight counties that are currently participating in a pilot project.
Mayes pointed out that the state already has the most skin in the IHSS game; supporting AB 211 was a simple matter of fairness.
When asked about breaking with the caucus, Mayes replied: "We said during the campaign and after that we don't care if it's a Democrat idea or a Republican idea. If it increases the quality of life for Californians or supports efficiencies in government, we're going to support it."
The only other Republican member of the committee, Brian Maienschein of San Diego, did not show up for the vote.
And In Congress
Rep. Raul Ruiz introduced two amendments last week, one that would help digitize veteran's benefits and relieve the backlog. As of April 25, more than 171,000 vets were waiting on claims that had been submitted more than 125 days prior, according to federal figures.
"Our work to clear this harmful backlog is not finished, and we owe it to these courageous men and women to do so as soon as possible," Ruiz said on the floor.
It easily passed with a simple voice vote - no doubt because it does not require new sources of funding. Rather, it reallocates $5 million already in the budget via the general operating expenses.
The same goes for the second amendment Ruiz introduced last week, which moves $5 million away from the study of fossil fuels and towards the study of drought mitigation in the West via the Bureau of Reclamation.
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: County considers rules for growing marijuana at home
Author: Jesse Marx
Contact: jesse.marx@desertsun.com
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: The Desert Sun | Palm Springs and Coachella Valley news | DesertSun.com
