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Less than a month after the defeat of Measure A, Butte County is on the way to a more restrictive medical marijuana ordinance.
The Butte County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 today to direct county staff to draft an ordinance similar to one in Kings County, which bans all outdoor cultivation of medical marijuana.
Supervisor Larry Wahl of Chico said he introduced the motion because he believed sending the issue to committee for another round of debate would be irresponsible, he said.
"To farm this out to a committee is to abdicate our responsibility to do something," Wahl said.
Wahl was joined in approval of the motion by supervisors Kim Yamaguchi of Paradise and Bill Connelly of Oroville. Maureen Kirk of Chico and 4th District Supervisor Steve Lambert voted against the motion.
The Kings County ordinance county staff was directed to emulate does not specify a number of plants that can be cultivated or an acreage limit on any kind of grow. It prohibits "cooperatives, collectives, and any other form of medical marijuana distribution in all zones in the county."
The only medical marijuana growth allowed under the Kings County ordinance is for personal use by qualified patients within a locked and fully enclosed structure.
Under the Kings County ordinance, violators are fined $100 for their first offense, $200 for the second offense within one year, and $500 for every additional offense within one year.
County staff is expected to deliver the ordinance to the Board of Supervisors by the end of August, Lambert said.
By contrast, under the defeated ordinance, growers would have been able to cultivate between six and 99 mature marijuana plants based on the size of their plots.
The ordinance prohibited marijuana cultivation on parcels less than a half-acre and required growers to submit proof of a doctor's recommendation to grow marijuana, according to a Butte County staff report. The report lists these requirements as objectionable to some voters.
Several community members spoke in favor of and against the cultivation of marijuana before the board made its decision.
Residential marijuana grows endanger neighbors and emit an unpleasant odor, said Chris Nicodemus.
Home invasions, burglaries and violence can result from the outdoor cultivation of marijuana, which can affect nearby residents, Nicodemus said.
"And make no mistake about it, bullets don't stop at property lines," he said,
However, terminally ill patients who use medical marijuana should be given special consideration, he said.
Thomas Wahl said a new ordinance should protect his partner, who takes marijuana to alleviate his struggle with AIDS. Wahl said his partner has made 15 court appearances in 21 years related to his marijuana use.
The new ordinance should also stop commercial marijuana cultivators, who have large, hazardous grow sites in the hills of Butte County, Wahl said.
Enforcement of the new marijuana cultivation ordinance will fall on the county, said Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey. Any new ordinance banning the cultivation of medical marijuana should come with money to hire additional county council to help with additional litigation, Ramsey said.
News Hawk- TruthSeekr420 420 MAGAZINE
Source: orovillemr.com
Author: Ben Mullin
Contact: Contact Us - Oroville Mercury Register
Website: 7 p.m. update: Butte supervisors move toward outdoor marijuana growing ban - Oroville Mercury Register
The Butte County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 today to direct county staff to draft an ordinance similar to one in Kings County, which bans all outdoor cultivation of medical marijuana.
Supervisor Larry Wahl of Chico said he introduced the motion because he believed sending the issue to committee for another round of debate would be irresponsible, he said.
"To farm this out to a committee is to abdicate our responsibility to do something," Wahl said.
Wahl was joined in approval of the motion by supervisors Kim Yamaguchi of Paradise and Bill Connelly of Oroville. Maureen Kirk of Chico and 4th District Supervisor Steve Lambert voted against the motion.
The Kings County ordinance county staff was directed to emulate does not specify a number of plants that can be cultivated or an acreage limit on any kind of grow. It prohibits "cooperatives, collectives, and any other form of medical marijuana distribution in all zones in the county."
The only medical marijuana growth allowed under the Kings County ordinance is for personal use by qualified patients within a locked and fully enclosed structure.
Under the Kings County ordinance, violators are fined $100 for their first offense, $200 for the second offense within one year, and $500 for every additional offense within one year.
County staff is expected to deliver the ordinance to the Board of Supervisors by the end of August, Lambert said.
By contrast, under the defeated ordinance, growers would have been able to cultivate between six and 99 mature marijuana plants based on the size of their plots.
The ordinance prohibited marijuana cultivation on parcels less than a half-acre and required growers to submit proof of a doctor's recommendation to grow marijuana, according to a Butte County staff report. The report lists these requirements as objectionable to some voters.
Several community members spoke in favor of and against the cultivation of marijuana before the board made its decision.
Residential marijuana grows endanger neighbors and emit an unpleasant odor, said Chris Nicodemus.
Home invasions, burglaries and violence can result from the outdoor cultivation of marijuana, which can affect nearby residents, Nicodemus said.
"And make no mistake about it, bullets don't stop at property lines," he said,
However, terminally ill patients who use medical marijuana should be given special consideration, he said.
Thomas Wahl said a new ordinance should protect his partner, who takes marijuana to alleviate his struggle with AIDS. Wahl said his partner has made 15 court appearances in 21 years related to his marijuana use.
The new ordinance should also stop commercial marijuana cultivators, who have large, hazardous grow sites in the hills of Butte County, Wahl said.
Enforcement of the new marijuana cultivation ordinance will fall on the county, said Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey. Any new ordinance banning the cultivation of medical marijuana should come with money to hire additional county council to help with additional litigation, Ramsey said.
News Hawk- TruthSeekr420 420 MAGAZINE
Source: orovillemr.com
Author: Ben Mullin
Contact: Contact Us - Oroville Mercury Register
Website: 7 p.m. update: Butte supervisors move toward outdoor marijuana growing ban - Oroville Mercury Register
