Pubdate: Sat, 04 Aug 2012
Source: Paradise Post (CA)
Copyright: 2012 Paradise Post
Contact:  http://www.paradisepost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3112
Author: Trevor Warner

RIDGE SUPERVISOR TALKS NEW POT ORDINANCE

Proposal Will Not Be Ready by November Election

After their marijuana proposal was defeated in the June primary, the 
Butte County supervisors are back to work on a new ordinance.

The supervisors have directed staff to come forward with options 
based on already existing ordinances in other jurisdictions, said 
Ridge supervisor Kim Yamaguchi.

"Supervisor (Larry Wahl of Chico) recommended Kings County as an 
example of a proposed ordinance and we said, 'Ok, let's look at it,'" 
Yamaguchi said, adding that other ordinances within Butte County, 
such as Paradise, Biggs and Gridley will also be looked at.

"All options are still open, nothing has been passed and no ordinance 
has been proposed," Yamaguchi said.

He said there was no vote on any ordinance and that the vote was for 
staff to bring a report back to the board in one month.

Still, when drafting the actual ordinance, Yamaguchi said the 
supervisors are going to be clearer with the ordinance's language.

"The problem of the last ordinance was that people were confused," he 
said, noting that the language of the ordinance made it a "no means 
yes, yes means no" proposal.

He said supervisors received many calls from citizens after the fact 
who thought they were voting for the ordinance, when they actually 
voted against it.

"People wanted some regulation on this because they don't like it," 
he said. "But they were confused on the election ballot."

Yamaguchi said an ordinance is necessary to stop home invasion 
robberies, disturbances to neighbors, risks to children and other 
crimes associated with growing marijuana.

"We want regulation over that to give our law enforcement better 
tools to handle this unregulated issue," he said.

Regardless of the passage of Proposition 215, which legalized growing 
pot for medical purposes, Yamaguchi said the federal government still 
says growers are breaking the law.

"We cannot offer any comfort level to people who subscribe to medical 
grows," Yamaguchi said. He said local agencies don't have any 
authority over the federal government. "It's against the law. The fed 
say they will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law. I don't 
know how to get clearer than that."

Personally, Yamaguchi said he thinks medical marijuana is a magnet for crime.

"I see no value in marijuana as a legitimate medicine," he said. "It 
is not recognized by the American Medical Association or by the 
Federal Drug Administration. Until legitimate medical governing 
agencies recognize medical marijuana, how can we recognize it?"

Oroville supervisor Bill Connelly voted with Yamaguchi and Wahl to go 
forward with the ordinance report.

Supervisors Maureen Kirk and Steve Lambert voted against going forward.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom