POT: ‘There has to be a balance, and that’s the hard part’
many questions that are still unanswered statewide, let alone countywide.”
At a marijuana cultivation workshop on April 6, Jeffrey Lake, an attorney with Lake A.P.C. in San Diego, submitted a proposed cultivation ordinance to the board that would have designated 140 acres of Yuba County farmland to medical marijuana grows.
The proposal indicated that if adopted, the ordinance has the potential to create close to 750 new jobs and bring in approximately $6.5 million in annual fees and taxes, which would go into the county’s general fund and could be used for things like code enforcement efforts.
Leahy said the proposal would solve a lot of issues but wasn’t exactly the solution the county needs.
“We believe it’s a bit too aggressive for big commercial groups. It didn’t look out for local interests as much as it should,” he said.
Yuba County supervi- sors amended the county’s cultivation ordinance a few weeks ago to bring it into compliance with Proposition 64 and to ban outdoor grows.
Leahy, who said he is a patient advocate rather than a supporter of recreational use, was the sole dissenting vote.
“The feeling is, for me, patients should have the ability to grow outdoors, but at the same time not have any impact on their neighbors. There has to be a balance, and that’s the hard part,” he said.
During the April workshop, Leahy told his colleagues the board should “step up and decide which direction” they wanted to go about marijuana cultivation, rather than let the state implement regulations. He urged the board to find a realistic but inclusive solution, one that sets the bar other counties dealing with the same issue can follow.
“I think we need to stop being reactive and start looking more at revising things,” Leahy said. “We are forcing patients to grow indoors now, which could jeopardize the family if CPS (Child Protective Services) comes in. It’s a burden on power costs, and it poses other problems like with our carbon footprint. It just doesn’t make much sense.”
Fletcher said the board is considering creating an ad hoc committee on cultivation in the county. Leahy said the committee would research what other counties are doing and come up with ways for Yuba County to possibly revise its current ordinance.
Buck Weckman, chairman of STOP Commercial POT, said he opposes commercial marijuana grows in Yuba County because of the negative elements it brings with it and how it affects the younger population. He said the majority of voters in the county have spoken time and time again they are against the legalization of marijuana.
“It appears that we have people migrating from other counties to take advantage of our rural area, with no other investment other than to make money,” Weckman said. “If you look at the marijuana community as a whole – while there are exceptions – you don’t really see people from that community doing positive things for our community. They say they want to be good neighbors, but I haven’t seen that demonstrated yet. The commercial element is just a larger aspect of that.”