Pubdate: Sat, 19 Dec 2015
Source: Ukiah Daily Journal, The (CA)
Copyright: 2015 The Ukiah Daily Journal
Contact: http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/feedback
Website: http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/581
Author: Adam Randall

MEDICAL MARIJUANA REGULATION AND SAFETY ACT MARCH DEADLINE INCORRECT

A March 1, 2016 deadline written into the state's new Medical 
Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act asking counties and cities to 
adopt local cultivation regulations or automatically deliver local 
control to the state is incorrect, according to one California legislator.

Assemblyman Jim Wood, D-Healdsburg, stated in an open letter to all 
California county and city government officials Thursday that the 
March 1 deadline was inadvertently included as a result of a drafting 
error in his Assembly Bill 243 portion of the Medical Marijuana 
Regulation and Safety Act that also included a bill by Sen. Mike 
McGuire, D-Healdsburg, and one headed by Assemblyman Rob Bonta, D-Oakland.

Wood stated he learned of the error because some counties and cities 
have been scrambling in order to rework or enact local medical 
marijuana regulations before the written deadline.

Mendocino County supervisors and the Ukiah City Council have also 
been reviewing existing local marijuana ordinances within each 
respective jurisdiction in anticipation of March 1.

"As soon as I was aware of the error I published a letter in the 
Assembly Journal, the official record of the Assembly, declaring my 
intention to pass urgency legislation as soon as the legislature 
reconvenes in January," Wood wrote.

"I have already amended one of my bills with language that will 
strike the deadline and maintain a local jurisdiction's ability to 
create their own regulations. As an urgency measure, the law will go 
into effect as soon as it is signed by the governor."

Even so, Wood stated if an urgency measure is not officially signed 
off on until after March 1, the Bureau of Medical Marijuana 
Regulation, the state agency responsible for developing these 
regulations, still only exists on paper and likely wouldn't be in 
position to enforce such regulations statewide for many months.

One marijuana advocacy group commended Wood for his leadership, 
further allowing local governments the time needed to carve out local 
ordinances that are "thoughtful and solution oriented."

"Good policy is built on good information," Hezekiah Allen, executive 
director of the California Growers Association stated in a news 
release. "With the easing of this time constraint, local governments 
will have time to work through collaborative processes with the 
business community and other stakeholders."

Allen also stated that he hopes that local governments statewide will 
continue to address the negative impacts of unregulated marijuana 
cultivations, beginning with local permits, to push participation in 
the regulatory marketplace.

Mendocino County 3rd District Supervisor Tom Woodhouse, who is 
serving on the county's marijuana ad hoc committee with 2nd District 
Supervisor John McCowen, said Friday he was aware of the deadline 
problem and that county counsel is also looking at the issue.

Woodhouse said the ad hoc committee will continue with its review of 
the county's local 9.31 medical marijuana ordinance, and the 
committee has been meeting with county staff including the Sheriff's 
Office, Planning and Building Services and Department of Agriculture.

"We're working on it big time," Woodhouse said. "We're totally 
looking at making it work locally to strengthen the economy."

The ad hoc committee provided a timeline of work at the Board of 
Supervisors last meeting of the year on Dec. 15, with the goal of 
bringing back recommendations in March 2016, and with the possibility 
of a "9.31 pilot program" being launched with revisions by the spring.

An additional regional marijuana summit focusing on the medical 
marijuana legislation with six other counties is being contemplated 
by the ad hoc and Executive Office for 2016.

The new state legislation, which was promised as providing 
all-encompassing regulations of the medical marijuana industry, was 
signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in October and will officially become law 
Jan. 1, 2016.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom