Policy

MCA’s RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE COUNTY CANNABIS PROGRAM

October 11, 2020

Mendocino County Cannabis Community

 

Re: MCA Recommendations for the County Cannabis Program for the 10/13/2020 BoS Meeting

 

IF YOU AGREE WITH THE BELOW, LET YOUR SUPERVISORS KNOW!! EMAIL THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AT: BOS@MENDOCINOCOUNTY.ORG AND TELL THEM ‘I SUPPORT THE MCA RECOMMENDATIONS!’

 

  1. DESIGNATE CANNABIS CULTIVATION AS AN AGRICULTURAL CROP AND TREAT IT WTH PARITY WITH OTHER FORMS OF AGRICULTURE: ALLOWING CANNABIS IN ALL ZONES WHERE ROW & FIELD CROPS ARE ALLOWED INCLUDING RANGELAND, FORESTLAND, AND TIMBER PRODUCTION ZONES, AND BY TREATING CANNABIS THE SAME WHEN IT COMES TO BUILDING PERMITS, LOCAL FIRE ORDINANCES, CALFIRE FIRE DEFENSIBLE SPACE, TAXES, AND BUSINESS REQUIREMENTS.

 

  1. WE MUST PRIORITIZE OUR EXISTING LICENSED OPERATORS AND PROVIDE THEM A PATH TO ELIGIBILITY FOR STATE ANNUAL LICENSES.

 

  1. ASSOCIATE PROOF OF PRIOR CULTIVATION WITH THE LAND, NOT THE PERSON.

 

  1. DISCUSSIONS REGARDING PHASE 3 SHOULD BE RESCHEDULED FOR NOVEMBER WHEN MORE INFORMATION CONCERNING THE WORK REQUIRED TO GET PHASE 1 APPLICANTS TO THE FINISH LINE HAS BEEN PRESENTED BY THE CANNABIS AD HOC COMMITTEE.

 

  1. RE-OPEN PERMITTING FOR THE LEGACY CULTIVATION COMMUNITY AND FOR LEGACY CULTIVATION SITES NOW THAT THE EQUITY GRANT PROGRAM IS NEARLY LAUNCHED.

 

  1. CONTINUE TO VALUE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONS AND SUSTAINABILITY BY UTILIZING THE CURRENT ORDINANCE AS A METHOD TO ENSURE ALL LEGACY CULTIVATION IS INCLUDED IN THE REGULATED FRAMEWORK, WHICH HAS THOSE PROTECTIONS BUILT-IN.

 

  1. PHASE THREE MUST BE DEVELOPED FIRST AND FOREMOST AS A ‘PLAN B’ FOR THE EXISTING COHORT OF LICENSED OPERATORS IF PHASE ONE PERMITS ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR STATE ANNUAL LICENSES.

 

  1. ALLOW EXPANSION UP TO 1 ACRE FOR OUTDOOR AND ALLOW EXPANSION FOR MIXED LIGHT AND INDOOR BASED ON A SITE-SPECIFIC REVIEW OF THE IMPACT TO THE ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES THROUGH A DISCRETIONARY PERMIT PROCESS.

 

  1. FOR NEW OR EXPANDED CULTIVATION, USE ADMINISTRATIVE PERMITS (AP) AS THE METHOD OF DISCRETIONARY REVIEW IN ALL ZONES WHERE POSSIBLE, ONLY USING MINOR USE PERMITS WHEN ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY AND IN PARITY WITH OTHER AGRICULTURAL CROPS.

 

  1. THE LOCAL EQUITY PROGRAM MANUAL (LEP) MUST BE REWRITTEN TO ENSURE THE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF PERSONS IMPACTED BY THE WAR ON DRUGS ARE SERVED BY THE PROGRAM. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA MUST BE BASED ON DIRECT HARM BY THE WAR ON DRUGS WITH AN EXPANSIVE APPROACH TO HARM – THE COUNTY MUST ASSIST IN PROVIDING ACCESS TO RECORDS THAT PROVE DIRECT HARM (RAIDS, ). ADDITIONAL IMPACT FACTORS CAN AND SHOULD BE USED TO DETERMINE THE LEVEL OF AWARD TO EACH APPLICANT. AWARDEES MUST BE FREE TO DETERMINE WHAT THE MONEY WILL BE SPENT ON TO ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF THEIR CANNABIS BUSINESSES.
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