County digs deeper into medical marijuana cultivation rules

Santa Cruz County leads the medical marijuana industry to ensure the best results for everyone.
From now until the end of the year, newly formed Cannabis Cultivation Choices Committee (C4) plans to come up with revised guidelines on how to keep up the supply without disrupting neighborhoods as well as the environment.
The group began the first of its meetings earlier this month, in response to concerns about the impacts of the medical cannabis industry.
Comprised of leaders, politicians, legal experts and concerned citizens, C4 aims to relieve the stress out of a business that’s proven itself necessary.
According to Jason Hoppin, communications manager for the County of Santa Cruz, growers have been going outside the regulations to produce their crops. This caused such a problem among county residents, that a ban on growing medical cannabis was put in place.
To address the needs of patients, and to avoid costly legislature, the County eventually decided to repeal the ban, but review its regulations.
One of the problematic rules is that growers may not exceed 99 plants. So whether they have an acre, or ten acres, that number is the maximum amount of plants that can be grown. But growers were exceeding that by putting in as many as 2,000 plants in their designated space.
“We’ve seen some people clear-cut land, and bulldoze, and that’s not good,” Hoppin said.
Cultivation may further impact the environment by contaminating ground water and displacing native habitats. It can be a nuisance to neighbors who otherwise are trying to live normal lives.
Because of his involvement in local politics, and environmentalism, Eric Hammer was appointed for C4 to represent the local district by Bruce McPherson, the board supervisor for Santa Cruz County District 5.
“The county is taking this extremely serious, they have put a lot of resources into this committee,” said Hammer. “There’s a lot riding on it for different people and cross segments of our community.”
According to Hammer, District Five, and Santa Cruz County in general, offer a prime setting for some of the best medicine to be grown.
“I want to be able to improve good regulations that allow for legitimate medical cannabis businesses,” he said.
The issue’s importance extends beyond the county to the statewide level. Last week, three new regulation bills were passed for tracking medical marijuana, from seed to sale. If signed by Governor Jerry Brown, they take effect January 1, 2016.
C4 meets again next week, and public is encouraged to attend. For more information, visit http://scc4.us.
To learn more about the statewide legislature in regards to tracking medical marijuana from seed to sale, visit:
http://www.canorml.org/news/Lawmakers_Announce_Deal_on_Medical_Marijuana_Legslation