BOS to host series of workshops regarding Prop 64

With the passage of Proposition 64 — or the Adult Use of Marijuana Act — last November, the Imperial County Board of Supervisors will now host a series of workshops around the Imperial Valley to get a sense of how Valley residents want the county to proceed.

Proposition 64 legalized the possession and use of marijuana for non-medical purposes for adults 21 and older in the state of California and implemented a state regulatory framework for commercial activity surrounding recreational marijuana, including but not limited to, cultivation, manufacturing and distribution.

The goal of the workshops is to inform the public about the law, which could open the door to further business development in the region, and also to get input from the community on how they believe the county should proceed when it comes to possibly implementing rules and guidelines related to the marijuana industry.

The first of the three workshops will take place at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday at the County Administration Center in El Centro.

“We want to give the community an opportunity to give the Board of Supervisors their opinion on Prop 64,” Chairman of the Board Michael Kelley said. “We want to get their input on what guidelines we should set to monitor growing of marijuana.”

Currently, the state is working to develop its own guidelines before it begins to issue licenses for cultivation, manufacturing, distribution and sales of marijuana.

Kelley said the Imperial County Executive Office along with the county counsel’s office have been doing research surrounding the issue and will have a presentation for the public, who will be able to voice their opinion and ask questions after the presentations.

The workshops will help the county to develop a policy that can be presented to the Board of Supervisors on which to take a vote at a later time.

As Imperial County is one of the most productive agricultural counties in the state of California, it is likely that the industry will target the Valley as one of the possible locations where marijuana could be grown in the state.

Following the workshop in El Centro, the board will hold additional workshops at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at the Calexico City Hall chambers and at 5:30 p.m. April 24 at the Del Rio Community Center in Brawley.

For more information, contact the Imperial County Executive Office at 442-265-1001.