Pubdate: Sun, 29 Jan 2012
Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA)
Copyright: 2012 Hearst Communications Inc.
Contact: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/submissions/#1
Website: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/388
Author: Kevin Fagan

MENDOCINO COUNTY ELIMINATES POT-GROWING PERMITS

Mendocino County, a national epicenter of all things marijuana, 
crumpled under pressure from Uncle Sam last week and stripped itself 
of more than a half-million dollars in annual pot income.

The Board of Supervisors voted to cancel its novel medical marijuana 
permit program on Tuesday, saying federal prosecutors had threatened 
to sue the county if the program stayed on the books.

Under the 2-year-old program, the most comprehensive in the state, 
Mendocino County issued permits to cannabis collectives, allowing 
them to grow as many as 99 plants at a time, and the sheriff 
performed monthly inspections on their zip-tied bundles of pot.

Sheriff Tom Allman's office collected $663,230 last year in fees for 
the inspections, which certified that the marijuana was grown for 
medicinal purposes only.

County law now reverts to a limit of 12 cannabis plants per individual.

U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag in San Francisco, whose office's 
jurisdiction includes the North Coast, declined to comment. She and 
other federal prosecutors in California have been cracking down on 
medical marijuana operators and overseers since October, threatening 
scores with lawsuits or jail if they don't shut down.

Prosecutors say the goal of their crackdown is to eliminate cannabis 
operations that have no connection to medical uses, or are too close 
to schools or parks. The cultivation and sale of marijuana for 
medical use is legal under a 1996 California law, but it remains 
illegal in the eyes of the federal government.

Allman said that despite the loss of revenue, he has no plans to lay 
off deputies. The revenue loss is not expected to affect other county 
departments, officials said.

"They didn't take away all of the tools in my toolbox," the sheriff 
said. "We'll still offer voluntary zip-tie permits for about $25 
apiece," down from $50 under the canceled program. "Last year alone 
we raised $60,000 with that.

"There is still time for more to happen between now and April, around 
the growing season, when we usually collect our fees," Allman said. 
"But I certainly see this as a step backward."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom