Pubdate: Tue, 04 Jun 2013
Source: Record Searchlight (Redding, CA)
Copyright: 2013 Record Searchlight
Contact:  http://www.redding.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/360
Author: Joe Szydlowski

TEHAMA COUNTY TELLS TWO MEDICAL MARIJUANA USERS TO LEAVE IF THEY WANT TO 
GROW

RED BLUFF -- A hearing before the Tehama County Board of Supervisors
today left medical marijuana user Quentin Rollins flabbergasted and
his girlfriend, Molly Dolan, in tears.

"It sucks. I put a lot of money into (the marijuana garden)," said
Quentin Rollins. "I have no idea what to do."

Rollins, who uses medical marijuana to treat anorexia, and Dolan, lost
an appeal over an April 30 finding by the Tehama County Sheriff's
Office that decreed the couple's garden at their rented home on the
21000 block of Hatfield Road didn't comply with the county's ordinance.

Rollins was ordered to fix three violations involving the number of
plants, registration and a requirement for 100 feet of space between
gardens and neighbors' properties.

At Tuesday's hearing, Rollins said he was able to rectify only the
first two conditions.

"There's no way to get 100 feet from a neighbor's border. It's a
really long property," he said. "It's 400 feet long and 180 feet across."

That, the board found, means his garden violated the ordinance because
it couldn't be 100 feet away from both neighbors, who also spoke at
the meeting.

"We have quite a bit of riffraff traffic day and night, buying drugs,"
said Paul Reynolds, whose property borders Rollins' west side.

But Rollins' girlfriend, Dolan, denied the accusation.

"We're not drug dealers, we're just young people with medical
conditions," she said, adding they didn't have a lot of traffic at the
home.

Anthony Gibbins, who lives to the east of Rollins and Dolan, said the
plants' smell kept him from "enjoying his property."

Gibbins said others had previously grown on the property.

Rollins said he moved to Tehama County from Lake County in November
and the realtor told them previous tenants had grown at the house.

"It was a random pick," he said of his decision to relocate to Tehama
County. Rollins acknowledged he didn't research Tehama County's
medical marijuana ordinance.

District 4 Supervisor Bob Williams scolded Rollins for allegedly not
doing his homework, which a person opening a "business" would.

"It's not a business," Dolan countered.

Williams maintained his position, adding that he didn't think an
exemption on the spacing issue was warranted.

"(That exemption) is based on a person who owns their home and comes
down with a condition and uses medical marijuana to treat the
condition," he said.

Dolan left in tears after the board made its decision clear and voted,
5-0, to deny the appeal. After the hearing Chairman Dennis Garton said
because they rent, Rollins and Dolan can move to a compliant property
if they want to grow.

Rollins and Dolan have 14 days to bring themselves up to code and get
rid of the garden, he said.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Matt