Pubdate: Mon, 12 Dec 2016
Source: Los Angeles Times (CA)
Copyright: 2016 Los Angeles Times
Contact:  http://www.latimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/248
Author: Angel Jennings
Page: B3

ZONING CHANGE AIMED AT POT FIRMS

Lynwood officials move toward allowing commercial cannabis production.

Lynwood officials last week took a step toward allowing businesses to
grow medical marijuana within city limits. If the measure gains final
passage, the city of 70,000 would be among the first in Los Angeles
County to issue such permits.

On a 3-1 vote, the City Council approved the first reading of an
ordinance that would amend the zoning code to permit commercial
cannabis producers to cultivate and manufacture marijuana in
industrial areas.

"As a responsible city government, it is incumbent on us to issue
strict controls, regulations and license the growing and manufacturing
of cannabis," Lynwood spokesman Robert Alaniz said in a statement
Wednesday. "And that we set the standard for local municipal
regulation of California's newest and voter approved industry."

In November, state voters approved Proposition 64, which legalized the
recreational use of marijuana. The law allows Californians who are 21
and older to possess, transport and use up to an ounce of cannabis for
recreational purposes and allows individuals to grow as many as six
plants. It will also allow retail sales of marijuana and impose a 15%
tax.

If passed, Lynwood's law would allow the licensing of up to five
businesses to grow or manufacture marijuana at any given time. They
would not be permitted within 600 feet of a school or daycare facility
or within 50 feet of a residential zone.

The proposed ordinance was drafted before passage of Proposition 64.
City officials said the measure could be amended to include
manufacture of recreational pot, but Alaniz said no decision on
whether to seek that change had been made.

The ordinance will need at least one more reading before it becomes
law. It is set to be heard again at the Dec. 20 council meeting.

Aaron Herzberg of CalCann Holdings, a marijuana real estate company,
estimates that locally produced cannabis could generate as much as $5
million in annual tax revenue for the city.

City officials said they want to regulate pot-related businesses to
protect the safety of residents and generate much-needed revenue.

The proposed law would not change the city's stance on medical
marijuana dispensaries, which would still be banned, officials said.
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