Pubdate: Fri, 09 Oct 2015 Source: Ukiah Daily Journal, The (CA) Copyright: 2015 The Ukiah Daily Journal Contact: http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/feedback Website: http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/581 MENDOCINO COUNTY RECOGNIZED FOR MARIJUANA POLICY WORK Mendocino County was one of six North Coast counties to be recognized for work over the past year on the North Coast Marijuana Policy Statement that addressed the regional impacts of marijuana. Last month, Mendocino, Del Norte, Lake, Humboldt, Sonoma and Trinity counties received the California Counties Collaboration Award from the California State Association of Counties. CSAC annually highlights county best-practices as a part of the challenge awards, which are then presented to celebrate the innovative work being developed and implemented by state counties. The North Coast counties have been informally discussing the possible impacts of potential state and federal marijuana policies on local economies, the environment and public safety. A regional summit was held that included discussion between county supervisors and chief administrative officers, which led to the policy statement that focused on issues of local control, revenue and taxation, environment and economics, the Mendocino County Executive Office said. Additionally, many issues that were addressed in the statement were also included in the Legislature's medical marijuana regulatory package that is awaiting a signature from Gov. Jerry Brown. The participating counties believe the policy statement will enable the North Coast region to advocate at a state and federal level to protect, support and enhance local economies. "The people of Mendocino, Del Norte, Lake, Sonoma, Trinity and Humboldt counties ought to be very proud of this regional effort to deal with a common issue," said CSAC Executive Director Matt Cate. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom