Pubdate: Wed, 22 Feb 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: Kevin N. Hume

MARIJUANA INITIATIVE TO APPEAR ON BALLOT

LAKEPORT -- The Lake County Board of Supervisors (BOS) Tuesday
unanimously approved placing a medical marijuana cultivation
initiative on the ballot for the June 5 primary.

"The Lake County Medical Marijuana Cultivation Act of 2012," as the
initiative is known, was brought to the board by the Lake County
Citizens for Responsible Regulations and the Lake County Green Farmers
Association.

The groups forced the BOS to decide between adopting the proposed
ordinance or placing it on the ballot after gathering enough
signatures. Of the 3,285 unverified signatures submitted, election
officials certified 2,134 names, clearing a necessary threshold.

The initiative was first discussed at the Jan. 24 BOS meeting. The
supervisors decided to delay a vote on the initiative and voted 3-1 to
direct specific departments to prepare reports on the proposed
ordinance for consideration. District 4 Supervisor Anthony Farrington
dissented, expressing concern about staff time and costs in preparing
the reports. District 3 Supervisor Denise Rushing was absent from that
meeting.

The specific county agencies that prepared reports were water
resources, community development, sheriff's office, district
attorney's office, probation, air quality management, agriculture,
county counsel's office and the marketing division.

Don Merrill, a spokesman for the two groups behind the initiative,
said there was a lot of confusion in the prepared staff reports. The
groups responded to the staff reports Tuesday morning. The responses
were included as portable document files (PDF) in an email that was
later printed out for the supervisors.

Merrill asked the supervisors to adopt the ordinance in order to have
regulations in place for the 2012 grow season, which has started early
because of a drier winter. Attorney Ron Green urged the BOS to adopt
the ordinance to provide limits on marijuana cultivators and allow law
enforcement to deal with complaints. People on both sides of the issue
spoke on the matter.

Rushing said she took issue that the ordinance cannot be amended
without voter approval, calling it "cumbersome." Supervisors Jeff
Smith and Jim Comstock agreed. County Registrar of Voters Diane
Fridley said it would cost taxpayers approximately $12,000 to
consolidate the ordinance into the upcoming June primary.

Rushing suggested putting the groups' ordinance on the June ballot and
coming up with a second ordinance to regulate cultivation now, which
Comstock also supported. The matter was ultimately struck down and the
supervisors unanimously approved placing it on the June primary ballot.

The full text of the proposed ordinance can be read online at
http://www.c4rr.org/
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MAP posted-by: Matt