Supes hold off until June
In another step in the process to determine what sort of regulations the county may impose on cultivation, manufacturing, and distribution of marijuana, the Imperial County Board of Supervisors requested staff to provide them with a variety of regulatory options at their disposal for consideration in a later discussion tentatively set for June 6.
The goal of Tuesday’s discussion was to begin to identify the best path for the county to follow as it seeks to draft and adopt an ordinance to lay the ground rules of how the marijuana industry may operate within the county’s jurisdiction.
Based on the discussion held during the meeting, Supervisors are considering adopting strict regulations in order to allow the cultivation of medical marijuana in the county while favoring a ban of industry pertaining to adult or recreational use of the plant.
Supervisor for District 5 Ray Castillo said he didn’t felt comfortable allowing the cannabis industry to come into the Valley either for recreational or medical purposes.
He said that even if the county bans cultivation and sale of cannabis in their jurisdiction, the local cities still have the opportunity to make a choice for themselves.
“I don’t see any benefit for us to say yes to something like this … I don’t want to send a message that we are for marijuana in this county,” Castillo said.
Supervisors John Renison and Michael Kelley also said they oppose allowing industry for recreational purpose, however, Renison said he has no problem with the medicinal aspect, and Kelley said he needs additional information before taking a position on medicinal.
Supervisor Ryan Kelley said he recognized his fellow board members concerns and mentioned he would like to explore options for both purposes and make that decision at a later time. Supervisor Luis Plancarte was not present at Tuesday’s meeting.
The goal of the board is to adopt a set of regulations or an outright ban on sale, cultivation, testing and processing of marijuana by July. The county has a deadline by the end of the year to do so, if the county fails to approve such regulations, then those would be imposed by the state, something all supervisors oppose.
County Executive Officer Ralph Cordova told the supervisors that if the board does make a decision to regulate cannabis industry in the county and have the intention of adding a special tax, then a decision needs to be made earlier to allow such tax to be put on the ballot.
Under Prop 64 or the Adult Use of Marijuana Act, the state adds an excise tax of 15 percent on retail sales of marijuana but still gives local jurisdictions the authority to impose additional taxes in medical and non-medical marijuana, however, those taxes need voter approval. A simple majority for a general tax and two-thirds majority for special tax in which those monies are earmarked for a specific purpose.
During the public discussion, Josh Barker who is in the process of obtaining a license from the state said for him it is imperative for the board to allow medical marijuana dispensaries within its jurisdiction. He argued that other players in the industry will try to come here to grow the cannabis and take advantage of the county’s cheap water and electricity rates and then sell their product elsewhere
“If you want to allow a dispensary here in Imperial County, then (cannabis) has to be grown here and sold here,” he said.
Local pharmacist Gary Metelsky urged the board to take a similar approach as it has been taken in Arkansas and Connecticut in which certified pharmacists oversee medical cannabis dispensaries.
Francisco Andrade, founder of the Imperial County Hemp and Cannabis Coalition disagreed with that proposal because it would not give the opportunity to locals to be part of the cannabis industry.
The board is expected to continue the discussion on its June 6 to look at options and make a decision of how they want to draft its ordinance.