Pubdate: Sat, 21 Jan 2012
Source: Lake County Record-Bee (Lakeport, CA)
Copyright: 2012 Record-Bee
Contact:  http://www.record-bee.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3384
Author: Jeremy Walsh

BOARD TO DISCUSS POT INITIATIVE TUESDAY

LAKEPORT -- The Lake County Board of Supervisors (BOS) has a 
discussion set for Tuesday about the successful signature drive 
trying to get a citizen-generated pot growth ordinance implemented into law.

Proponents of "The Lake County Medical Marijuana Cultivation Act of 
2012" gathered enough names as part of their initiative effort to 
force the BOS to consider the proposed law.

Supporters submitted 3,285 signatures to the county in December, and 
election officials confirmed 2,134 came from registered Lake County 
voters, according to Registrar of Voters Diane Fridley. She said her 
office stopped verifying names once the threshold of 2,115 was cleared.

Fridley is scheduled to present a certification of her count to the 
BOS Tuesday at 10 a.m.

The supervisors will ultimately have two options regarding the 
ordinance drafted by a group of citizens: adopt the law without any 
changes or place the initiative measure on the June ballot.

However, the BOS could choose Tuesday to direct county staff members 
to prepare reports outlining the potential impacts of either 
decision. That research would have to be done quickly because the 
supervisors must decide between the two options by mid-February, Fridley said.

"We believe that accepting our ordinance would be the best thing," 
said Don Merrill, a representative of the two groups behind the 
initiative -- the Lake County Citizens for Responsible Regulations 
and the Lake County Green Farmers Association.

Merrill argued that adopting the proposed law soon would allow the 
county to have "reasonable regulations" in place before the upcoming 
marijuana grow season.

No matter what decision the supervisors make about the initiative 
measure, they could also throw the county's hat into the ring during 
the June election.

The BOS could have staff draft a different pot growth law to present 
to the voters.

Merrill said he has "some concern about the Board of Supervisors 
accepting our ordinance and then drafting one of their own to put on 
the ballot in June."

He called that "the worst scenario."

The supervisors would have to approve of placing a county-drafted 
measure on the June ballot by their March 6 meeting because the 
deadline to qualify for the primary election is March 9, Fridley said.

Any proposed law written by the county would have to differ from the 
pot growth ordinance the BOS passed in October but then rescinded 
Jan. 3 following a successful referendum petition.

Currently, the Lake County Code has no specific regulations regarding 
medical marijuana cultivation, though growers still have to adhere to 
other relevant local laws, such as grading and water-usage requirements.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom