Pubdate: Thu, 09 Aug 2012
Source: Sacramento News & Review (CA)
Copyright: 2012 Chico Community Publishing, Inc.
Contact:  http://newsreview.com/sacto/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/540
Author: Nick Miller

DOES SACRAMENTO HAVE CAUSE TO BAN OUTDOOR MARIJUANA CULTIVATION?

A couple of weeks back, the four council members on the city's
law-and-legislation committee discussed banning outdoor cultivation of
medical-cannabis in residential areas. No decisions were made, and it
seems unlikely a ban would make it through council-but it also sounds
like the issue hasn't been buried yet, either.

But city of Sacramento police Sgt. Andrew Pettit told SN&R last week
that, when it comes to police going on cultivation calls, "the numbers
are so low."

But there's a catch: When an individual is busted under criminal code
11378 for selling or possessing a controlled substance, it typically
goes under a generic classification, Pettit explained. Not
specifically under "pot" or "marijuana."

And when police encounter a qualified medical-pot patient with an
outdoor grow, Pettit says, "The officers are only required now to
write information reports documenting that a subject has a '215
card,'" or that they are legally permitted to cultivate.

Only six individuals have been arrested for outdoor grows in the city
of Sacramento this year, the same number as all of last year. These
incidences are down from 20 in 2010 and 18 in 2009.
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