Amend Item 64 Sacramento County Growers- email I received

[Seamaiden]

I have nothing but very bad words and thoughts on this subject right now. Push us back underground and watch the black market burgeon. That'll drive wholesale prices UP.

 

[markscastle]

Hell I`m already seeing people cutting down or not planning on growing outdoor next year! I`m planning on cutting back myself ,but that`s because of my health and inability to get it all harvested before the rains come. Thinking is why plant more than I can finish at the short window of harvest I have just to see it go to waste because of the rain and cold. It`s just to much work and expense invested. I can`t get trimmers to stay when it gets deathly cold and wet and if you don`t have it down and dried by the time it rains it`s just wasted effort. I figure it`s better to have less plants and have more quality. Also I think I`ll get a better yield off less plants per plant anyway. I have a limited amount of grow space/soil and can only fetch so much water. I`m working on converting my tunnels into full greenhouses that can double as drying units even in the rain.

I hate to see things go backwards in nearby counties but then with as many counties clamping down on outdoor it`s going to have a positive impact on prices in favor of progressive counties. It wont stop the flow, if anything it will move where it is grown is all.

 

[richdash]

What a load of crap, the county planner showed up to a community meeting last week bragging about this and the local pop officer at the meeting commented that they were planning on cracking down on outdoor grows in unincorporated sac this year. Go to your community meetings and hear what they have to say... If anything it keeps an ear on the bs thats spreading and rumors that may help to protect yourself from overly interested parties... It was hilarious hearing them talk so much shit about medicating and providing meds for yourself while I knew of several growers that were there. None of them have a clue who does what but in reality its the drug dealing kids on corners that are making the rest of us face scrutiny... Sad Sad Sad, hopefully they don't come back with some retarded indoor grow limitations. I would love to see sac take advantage of this plant and become a place that embraced and used it to its advantage rather than turn its head to it as if it were influenced by other less brave counties. Maybe someone should run for one of these office positions with patients in mind....

 

[urbanfog]

another view from the meeting, looks like Serna is pushing to regulate the indoor. Time for a phone call ;)

http://www.canorml.org/news/Sacramento_county_bans_outdoor_medical_marijuana_cultivation


The Sacramento Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to ban outdoor medical marijuana cultivation in unincorporated areas of the county, but chose not to ban indoor cultivation and rather work with advocates to develop an indoor ordinance.

The move came after Supervisor Roberta MacGlashan introduced two ordinances to ban both outdoor and indoor cultivation of medical marijuana, in a county that has also banned dispensaries. MacGlashan said her office had received “a huge number of complaints” about the strong odor of outdoor grows, citing public safety concerns and also worries about water usage, especially in this drought year.

The county as a unique ordinance on the books banning anything that is federally illegal, but the proposed ordinances sought to label marijuana plants a “nuisance” and allow them to be abated through civil code enforcement procedures via a complaint-driven process. MacGlashan stressed that penalties for violating the ordinances would be civil, although a deputy DA who testified said in some cases misdemeanors would be possible for violators.

Right away, Supervisor/Board Chair Jimmie Yee sought a definition of “outdoor” versus “indoor” grows, asking what the ordinance proposal meant by a “secure structure”: a shed, a detatched garage? At one point a sheriff’s lieutenant defined indoor as anything grown under artificial light, and county council weighed in with his interpretation that a secure, locked structure was not an indoor grow because it was not a habitable structure.

The supervisors sought to distinguish between commercial-sized grows or cartel grows on public lands or in multiple homes, and personal-use gardens, with law enforcement representatives acknowledging there was a “huge distinction” between the two, and that the complaints they receive are never about small gardens. Similarly, Brian Rice of the Sacramento Area Firefighters, who testified about the danger of fighting fires in commercial grow houses, said those dangers were negligible for small grows. The DA’s representative said his office would support an indoor ordinance that allowed for less than 10 plants. He said that his office was currently prosecuting 10 marijuana-related homicides in the county.

Supervisor Don Nottoli asked about the 25-square-foot allowance for indoor grows in Rancho Cordova. Corey Koehler of the Rental Housing Association said that his organization would be asking for an amendment to that ordinance because of complaints from his members about fires and other hazards of grows in rental properties.

Several members of the public gave testimony about medical marijuana’s importance to themselves and their family members, and the need to have an affordable supply. Ron Mullins and Bob Bowerman of Sacramento/Stockton/Modesto NORML, Marcia Blount of the Brownie Mary Democratic Club, and Ellen Komp and Dale Gieringer of California NORML also testified. Only one person testified in favor of the ban, despite the fact that her daughter uses medical marijuana for Crohn’s disease.

Lanette Davies of Crusaders for Patients Rights pointed out that in 2012, Sacramento county had 8,988 violent crimes and 31,000 property-related crimes, and so far in 2014 the county has had 77 homicides. In this context, the few violent incidents around marijuana gardens don’t seem so meaningful, she said. She also noted that Sacramento county has a large population of veterans, and that 22 veterans a day are committing suicide, while the VA has stated that veterans have a right to use medical marijuana for PTSD and pain. Davies called for line-of-sight regulations, greenhouse and lighting standards with a proactive approach to ensure safe and affordable access for all. Kimberly Cargile of A Therapeutic Alternative, a dispensary in the city of Sacramento, implored the board not to drive county residents to the black market or burden them financially by making them travel long distances to legal dispensaries in the city.

After the board voted in favor of the outdoor ban (ironically, on Earth Day), Supervisor Phil Serna moved to develop indoor regulations with the aid of county counsel, staff, and patient advocates towards “a reasonable number of plants or square footage.” The Board plans to take a second vote on the outdoor ban on May 13 and consider an amended indoor ordinance on May 28.

 

[markscastle]

What`s that old song ` bits and pieces`, what you need is a grass roots movement to have a ballot vote of the county residences in the coming elections. If it passes it would refute the law passed by the county supervisors until after the elections. We are doing our second vote after allowing for a compromise on the issue the county supervisors went back on their word and passed a bad limit on outdoor plants. Now we have turned in 7 times the needed signatures to have it go to a vote on the next election, until then the change by the county supervisors is null and void. The same plant count as was agreed to will stay in place until the election. Polls show a landslide of the voters will vote favorably in the interests of outdoor medical growers(again). If the same thing was applied in other counties MMJ could be grown in all 52 California counties according to any limits each counties population decided. Much better than letting the old guard make all the decisions.

 

[richdash]

It's all a joke, yeah lets limit plants.... Makes sense.. Because a two plant garden with 8 foot tall plants shoved against bulbs is much safer than a 100 plant sog garden with 1-2 foot plants kept at a safe distance from the lights... Nothing like ignorance to set rules....

 

[markscastle]

Wonder what they would think about some of the plant genetics we used to grow back in the 60`s? 11-12 ft. tall, 10-11 ft. wide and 10-19 pounds per plant dry and trimmed. These were sativa crosses and not what most people are looking to consume now days, but it would through the plant count idea in the trash if they saw some like that these days!!!