Pubdate: Sun, 08 Feb 2015 Source: Appeal-Democrat (Marysville, CA) Copyright: 2015 Appeal-Democrat Contact: http://www.appeal-democrat.com/sections/services/forms/editorletter.php Website: http://www.appeal-democrat.com Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1343 Author: Eric Vodden SUPES READY TO TACKLE MEDICAL MARIJUANA ORDINANCE No matter what Yuba County supervisors do with their medical marijuana cultivation ordinance this week, it's time to do something, a board member said. "I think the public and everybody would like to hear something happen," said Supervisor Randy Fletcher, whose 5th District is home to most medical marijuana grows. "I think the board would like to make something happen." Supervisors on Tuesday afternoon may do just that during the latest discussion on making the county's medical marijuana ordinance more restrictive. The session - following earlier meetings that drew some 300 supporters and opponents - will be at 3 p.m. Tuesday in the County Government Center in Marysville. Board chairwoman Mary Jane Griego said she is ready to move forward on the issue after dealing with it since late November. "I hope we do so for the sake of both sides," Griego said. "I hope we are able to reach some agreement. I don't know if it's going to be perfect, but I hope we can reach some consensus from both sides." Supervisors last month seemed on the verge of supporting more restrictive medical marijuana cultivation regulations. Consideration followed complaints by residents of alleged increased criminal activity surrounding grows. An exclamation point was added when regional drug agents last week busted one of the state's largest-ever marijuana honey oil labs on LaPorte Road near Brownsville. "I suspect there is a lot more going on in the foothills than any of us realize," Fletcher said. "The importance of us moving on this issue is here and now." Supervisors on Tuesday will consider two options - one an ordinance modeled on one adopted in Shasta County, and the other a scaled-back version of the existing Yuba County ordinance. While Yuba County allows 18 outdoor plants on an acre or less and as many as 99 on 20 acres or more, the Shasta ordinance allows no outdoor grows and a dozen indoor plants in an accessory structure. With the scaled-back option, outdoor cultivation would be prohibited on less than an acre with up to six indoor plants allowed. For parcels one to five acres, a maximum of 12 indoor or outdoor plants would be allowed, but no more than six indoors. For parcels from five to 20 acres, no more than 18 plants would be cultivated with a maximum of six indoors while as many as 30 could be grown on more than 20 acres. Both options would also include a requirement for growers to register and pay an annual fee to the county. Griego said if the board provides direction on Tuesday, an ordinance could be brought back for a formal hearing on Feb. 24 with final adoption in March. Griego and Supervisor John Nicoletti made up an ad hoc committee that met with medical marijuana growers and nongrowing residents. "We have been meeting with different aspects of the growers," Griego said. "There are different groups within the growing community. "It was basically sharing information about some of the issues and some of the things they thought would work." It's been a difficult issue to address, Griego said, because of high emotions on both sides - growers who depend on medical marijuana for their sicknesses and residents concerned about safety issues. "I don't think any county in the state has had more workshops or community meetings on this than Yuba County," Griego said. "I have talked to people from other counties, and they mostly have just imposed new regulations." - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom