Rodney Jones
Through numerous Shasta County Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors meetings, several cannabis activists have civilly requested a project meeting to discuss a commercial cannabis growing ordinance.
As with any other major project in any incorporated city or county, the first step in the project is to get all of the affected people or department representatives together at the table to discuss the project. Identify all of the issues, create mitigation efforts and who will be responsible for what, and implement a plan to move forward to implement the project.
If you look at any project this is the process. Yet Shasta County and all incorporated cities in the county have refused this approach with the exception of Shasta Lake City. We have had numerous people, families, businesses, effected by cannabis grows. Why? Because instead of using the process designed to mitigate problems from the beginning, Shasta County as many other counties have taken the law enforcement approach.
Which is the attitude of: "There is no such thing as medical marijuana, it's a ruse for stoners to get high, this won't happen in my town on my watch." This approach is exactly the problem throughout California. The League of California Cities is responsible for the design and implementation of ridiculous legislation designed to protect law enforcement revenue at the expense of the sick and disabled.
I can speak to this from personal experience. I was on the board of directors of the League of California Cities and a member of the Public Safety and Environmental Quality committees in 1996 when the compassionate use act was passed. Every law enforcement official in the Public Safety Committee stated the quote above or something similar. Understand this group represents law enforcement from every area of California.
When will common sense come to fruition in cannabis regulation in Shasta County? Like many other counties a ban on growing is in place. Yes I am aware of the recently passed legislation at the state level that is supposed to "fix" the problem. Like SB420 and the Kelley decision, this legislation will cause more time wasted in courtrooms over an issue based in lies. The misclassification of cannabis as a schedule 1 narcotic is a lie. Horticulturally speaking, cannabis is a medicinal herb, food.
What will it take to create common sense legislation that puts growing medicinal cannabis as a commercial crop into agricultural zoned areas where it is supposed to be? The compassionate use act is very clear.
Provide safe and affordable access to patients whose doctors have recommended cannabis for their ailments. An ordinance that deals with commercial growing of medicinal cannabis and hemp in agricultural zoned areas would do exactly that.
Why after almost 20 years we still don't have common sense legislation?
