Santa Cruz County sets new rules for commercial cultivation of medical marijuana
On Tuesday, Santa Cruz County Supervisors approved the county’s first local licensing system for commercial medical marijuana cultivation. The vote follows several months of work on how best to balance an adequate supply of medical marijuana all while protecting the environment and the community.
In August, supervisors tasked a 13-member board to develop recommendations. In early December, the Cannabis Cultivation Choices Committee recommended a set of rules, which supervisors unanimously approved Tuesday.
Under the new rules, cultivators can apply for one of two types of licenses. The larger license limits cultivation canopies to 500 square feet. The smaller one is for a total of 200 square feet.
There are also several limitations:
– No commercial cultivation in urban areas
– No commercial cultivation on parcels of less than one acre
– If zoned residential agriculture, the parcel must be five acres of great
– No commercial cultivation within 600 feet of a home, a public right-of-way, a school, a park, a perennial stream, a city or county border
– No commercial cultivation visible form an adjacent public right-of-way
– License holder must have a permanent resident on the cultivation site
– Firearms prohibited on cultivation parcels
It’s important to note the larger license will be subject to more zoning restrictions. It’s also important to note that these new rules do not affect personal patient grows.
Supervisors still need to formally approve the new rules before they take effect. It’s also expected an updated set of rules will be voted in in about six months. That’s because of the California Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act. The act allows local governments to determine their own rules (ones that best fit the community), but must be in effect March 1, 2016, or state rules kick in.
In August, supervisors voted to repeal an ordinance that banned commercial medical marijuana cultivation. That repeal now allows the growth of up to 99 plants on certain rural areas. The vote came after people collected enough signatures to put the repeal on an upcoming ballot. The board decided to take the ordinance back, rather than spending taxpayer money on an election.
