Hearing On Marijuana Grows, Tax Ordinances Held In Sonoma County

SONOMA COUNTY, CA – Dozens of people attended a Sonoma County Board of Supervisors' hearing Tuesday afternoon on a medical cannabis land use ordinance that regulates cultivation of pot in residential, agricultural, commercial and industrial areas of the unincorporated county.

The hearing continued into the evening but was expected to resume again on Dec. 13.

About 50 people submitted cards to speak for up to three minutes on the controversial land use ordinance and on a proposed cannabis business tax ordinance that would go before voters on March 7.

The land use ordinance and another that regulates medical cannabis dispensaries and edible medical cannabis manufacturing sites only need the approval of a majority of the five-member board.

• Also see: Medicinal Marijuana 'Emerald Cup 2016': Santa Rosa

County residents packed a previous series of Planning Commission hearings where residents expressed concerns about safety if pot cultivation is allowed in residential areas. They returned today to repeat their
concerns.

Under the ordinance, outdoor grows up to 100 square feet, including up to six plants per residence, would be permitted for both adult and medical use of marijuana in residential areas.

Medical marijuana users would be allowed 25 plants on a minimum parcel size of two acres outdoors in both a rural residential zone and an agriculture and residential zone with a state license and a minor use permit.

Regarding indoor grows, up to 500 square feet located on a minimum two-acre parcel would be allowed in residential areas with a minor use permit.

Indoor and outdoor grows larger than these would not be allowed in residential zones of the county but would be permitted in commercial and industrial zones.

Coming up in the area:

• The Music Man: Santa Rosa Junior College
• Healdsburg 8th Annual Holiday Boutique
• The Nutcracker: Petaluma School of Ballet
• Gingerbread Doghouse Workshops at Charles M. Schulz Museum: Santa Rosa
• Sonoma Humane Society Open House: Healdsburg Center for Animals

--Bay City News/Photo via flickr creative commons