Pubdate: Thu, 11 Dec 2014
Source: Sacramento News & Review (CA)
Copyright: 2014 Chico Community Publishing, Inc.
Contact:  http://newsreview.com/sacto/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/540
Author: Ngaio Bealum

FRESNO'S A NO-GO FOR THOSE WHO GROW

Hey, I hear Fresno is going to repeal their growing ban. What have you heard?

- -Ray Zin

Hey yourself. The Fresno County Board of supervisors had a meeting 
last week to discuss changing their ridiculous and overbearing ban on 
outdoor cultivation. The way the law stands now, no one can grow any 
cannabis at all and those that do are subject to a fine of $1,000 per 
plant, plus interest. If growers would like to appeal the fines, they 
have to appear in front of the Board of Supervisors. As it turns out, 
dang near everyone would like to appeal their fines, especially 
landlords from out of town, seeing as there is no grace period 
allowed for removing plants, and the BoS is having a hard time 
keeping up. So they had a meeting, and surprise surprise, nothing 
changed. It is still illegal to grow medical cannabis, indoors or 
outdoors, in Fresno County. This sort of zero-tolerance policy toward 
medical marijuana seems to be contagious. Some supervisors in El 
Dorado County are looking to repeal their current growing ordinance 
and replace it with a total ban on cannabis growing. Last week, they 
decided to form a committee to look into the best way to change the law.

All of these actions are ridiculous. The Compassionate Use Act 
approved by voters way back in 1996 allows for cannabis patients to 
grow up to 12 plants for personal use. Fresno County is flying in the 
face of state law with this ban. Michael "Bud" Green, Fresno-based 
activist and journalist, told me: "This should wake people up about 
the severe limitations of SB 420 and the need to pass comprehensive 
state regulations, both for medical and adult-use. This fantasy of 
local regulation must be exposed for the pipe dream that it is." He 
is right. As of now, we have a dysfunctional hodgepodge of local 
regulations that vary from city to city. This method also places an 
undue burden on cities and counties that have reasonable regulations. 
Why should people in Fresno have go to Sacramento to get medical 
cannabis? Why can't patients grow 12 plants? Why can't the Fresno 
County Board of Supervisors get its shit together? I wish I had an 
answer for you.

Yo. Any events that I should know about this winter?

- -Joe Snowbird

Yo Joe! Let's see ... the Emerald Cup outdoor cannabis competition is 
this weekend at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa. This 
event is always a great time with good people, good medicine and 
great music. Get more details at http://theemeraldcup.com.

This February, The International Cannabis Business Conference will be 
in San Francisco. PBS travel superstar and cannabis advocate Rick 
Steves will be there. Addiction specialist Dr. Carl Hart will also be 
there, along with many other cannabis industry insiders, politicians, 
scientists and activists. This conference is perfect for the, um, 
budding ganjapreneur. Learn more at www.internationalcbc.com.
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