Public forum will explore commercial cannabis land use issues
Signs, websites and opinion pieces have popped up to express a range of views on Measure B, Plumas County’s land use ordinance for commercial cannabis. To help voters understand what they the measure, Plumas Action Network is hosting a forum featuring the ballot measure’s authors as well as the citizens’ working against the measure.
The forum will be held Wednesday, Oct. 10, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., at the Quincy Library. Attorney and former prosecutor Jeff Cunan will serve as moderator. The format will be similar to League of Women Voter events, where each side will give an opening statement and then will answer questions submitted by audience members.
“Being an informed voter is critical for all of us in Plumas County,” said Amber Hughes, a Plumas Action Network member. “Our goal is to put aside questions of morality and judgment and focus on the land use ordinance itself.”
Marty Walters, another Plumas Action Network member, suggested the forum after experiencing many of these events throughout Northern California as a candidate for Congress.
According to the network, “The most effective forums are those that get to issues directly affecting voters. We want people to come with specific concerns about their neighborhoods and how this ordinance will change Plumas County and its economy.”
Legalization of recreational and medical cannabis in California has already brought a lot of change to communities. California’s state-level cannabis licensing program is intended to merge the growing and distribution of medical and recreational cannabis into one consistent approach.
While the state licensing program is comprehensive in terms of environmental protection, documentation and reporting, and safety, it does not cover the topic of where cannabis activities can take place, because cities and counties have control over land use regulation in California. Nevertheless, the state program allows each person to grow up to six plants on their property regardless of land use ordinances.
Plumas County banned all commercial cannabis activity in the face of controversy over where these activities could take place, including growing and distribution of medical marijuana that had previously been allowed. Recent enforcement of that ban has led to further controversy over the use of the county’s resources.
