Pubdate: Thu, 20 Aug 2015
Source: North Coast Journal (Arcata, CA)
Column: The Week in Weed
Copyright: 2015 North Coast Journal
Contact:  http://www.northcoastjournal.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2833
Author: Grant Scott-Goforth

REGISTRATION DAY

First-of-their-kind regulations for marijuana grows were approved 
last week by the northern section of California's water board.

At a somewhat tumultuous Santa Rosa meeting on Aug. 13, the North 
Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board adopted a registration 
program that it originally released in draft form in May.

The program requires anyone with a cannabis cultivation area 2,000 
square feet or larger to enroll by Feb. 15, and will regulate how 
those sites discharge wastewater and impact waterways.

The program has three tiers of cultivation: grow sites under 5,000 
square feet that pose no risk of waste discharge, grow sites that are 
larger or pose risks, and grow sites that are already in need of 
remediation, according to a report in the Press Democrat.

Tier 2 participants must provide a water resource protection plan and 
Tier 3 sites need that as well as a clean-up and restoration plan.

Waste discharge risk factors include drainage features, stream 
crossings, water diversion or storage, and the use of fertilizers. As 
the Journal noted when the draft regulation was released, it's almost 
impossible to imagine a 2,000-square-foot grow that doesn't fit at 
least one of those criteria.

The water board voted 5-1 to adopt the plan, with only board member 
Greg Giusti of Ukiah opposing, saying he was worried that registering 
growers in the statewide regulatory program would put them at risk of 
federal scrutiny. The regulation includes the option for growers to 
register through approved third-party organizations to lower the risk 
that their information could be seized by the feds. It is also worded 
vaguely enough, officials said, that no one registering is admitting 
to growing marijuana specifically.

When the water board's enforcement arm began a pilot program, 
visiting grows in Southern Humboldt watersheds in January, officials 
said that residents were eager to hear what they needed to do to come 
into compliance.

But according to a Record-Bee report, several Sproul Creek residents 
spoke at last week's meeting about "difficulties in following up with 
site notification, with one threatening to take the board to court."

Business leaders in Israel, an international leader in medical 
marijuana research, may look to export the product as a future 
revenue generator for the nation.

The Jerusalem Times reports that a recent conference saw the leader 
of the Israel Loss Adjusters Association call for the government to 
dedicate land to export-oriented medical marijuana, a move that some 
predicted could outpace the country's natural gas sales.

Montana marijuana advocates are holding their breath for a state 
Supreme Court decision that could make or break the state's medical 
marijuana framework. In effect since 2004, the program came under 
fire when thousands of dispensaries popped up around the state, near 
churches and schools.

"As medical marijuana consumers cry foul, state legislators and 
grassroots opposition have sought to undermine the industry, saying 
business grew too large, too fast - in effect becoming recreational 
marijuana operating under the guise of medicine," writes the Washington Post.

Sound familiar? Unlike California (and other states, where marijuana 
prohibition is becoming more relaxed), Montana legislators later 
imposed major restrictions in 2011, hampering marijuana businesses 
and patient access. It's those restrictions that are subject to the 
outcome of a current Supreme Court case.

Tennis phenom Novak Djokovic took a break between sets at Montreal's 
Rogers Cup recently to complain to the umpire about crowd 
interference. Djokovic had won the first set, and would go on to win 
the second, but not without overcoming the racket-dulling effects of 
marijuana smoke wafting across the stadium.

"Someone is smoking weed, I can smell it, I'm getting dizzy," 
Djokovic complained, according to a Sydney Morning Herald report. And 
it wasn't the first time - a few days prior, he'd been bothered by a 
toker during a doubles match. "Somebody's really enjoying his life 
around the tennis court," Djokovic said.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom