cannabisnews.com: Pungent Pot Causing Stink in Mendocino County





Pungent Pot Causing Stink in Mendocino County
Posted by CN Staff on September 14, 2004 at 23:14:14 PT
By Mike Geniella, The Press Democrat
Source: Press Democrat
Ukiah -- Over some parts of town, the pungent, skunk-like odor of ripening marijuana is unmistakable.The smell is prompting a growing number of residents to hold their noses - and reach for their phones - to complain to Mendocino County air quality officials about the smell of their neighbors' legally sanctioned medical marijuana gardens.
"It's becoming a real nuisance problem," said local Air Pollution Control Officer Dean Wolbach.In some quarters, marijuana is Mendocino County's middle name. Every year, the county ranks among the state's top producers of pot thanks to the staggering volume of illicit weed grown in remote rural regions.But the commotion over odors from legal marijuana gardens is new. It is the latest flap to erupt over Proposition 215, the 1996 voter-approved measure that legalized the cultivation and personal use of pot for medical reasons.Under county medical marijuana guidelines, a card-carrying pot grower can have up to 25 plants."In a small area, that number of maturing plants can put out quite a smell," Ukiah Police Capt. Dan Walker noted Monday.As the pot harvesting season nears its peak, the stink grows stronger.About a dozen odor complaints have been made so far this marijuana growing season, double what was reported last year, Wolbach said.The most gripes are coming from residents in older Ukiah neighborhoods, where back yards are small and neighbors' noses closer.Not everyone is smelling the problem.District Attorney Norman Vroman on Monday disputed the odor concerns."I haven't had one complaint about odor problems. I think Mr. Wolbach has too much time on his hands," he said.Vroman said even if Wolbach or other local officials can produce evidence of a mounting odor problems, he doubts he would prosecute."We have a workable medical marijuana program operating here based on voter-approved Proposition 215," he said.Besides, he said, "I've got much more serious concerns than the stinky smell of pot."Besides clean air issues, Wolbach's office has jurisdiction over obnoxious odors, but how much authority he has to crack down on foul-smelling pot gardens is unclear."I'm having discussions with the state Air Resources Board on how far my authority extends in this particular area," Wolbach said.As it is, he said he can issue violations and impose fines in cases considered nuisances. But current regulations don't cover odors from medical marijuana gardens."I hate to be at the forefront of this, given Mendocino's tolerance of medical marijuana," Wolbach said.The Mendocino County Sheriff's Office has issued 1,340 cards allowing the cultivation or use of medical marijuana, according to statistics released last year by Sheriff Tony Craver.The cards - the most per capita anywhere on the North Coast - shield marijuana users from local prosecution.But if the number of odor complaints keep rising, Wolbach said he may seek local regulations to ban medical marijuana gardens from residential neighborhoods."My office takes no position on the merits of medical marijuana use. That's outside our purview," he said.But no matter what public sentiments are about medical marijuana, Wolbach said he doesn't believe he or other local officials can ignore the odor complaints."They're a nuisance, and I think we have to find some way to deal with them," he said.Note: Residents complaining more to air pollution agency about odor from medical marijuana gardens.Source: Press Democrat, The (CA)Author: Mike Geniella, The Press DemocratPublished: Tuesday, September 14, 2004Copyright: 2004 The Press DemocratContact: letters pressdemo.comWebsite: http://www.pressdemo.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Medicinal Cannabis Research Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/research.htmPot Odors Wafting in Valleyhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19470.shtmlMendocino First in US To Decrim. Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7593.shtml
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Comment #8 posted by Jose Melendez on September 15, 2004 at 12:02:21 PT
Thanks, Hope!
As those of you here who read my postings know, I feel strongly that cannabis prohibition represents an unlawful restraint of trade and infringement on our Constitutional rights. If anyone knows any lawyer willing to help me gain legal standing to sue for the right to distribute cannabis, please speak out now.I'm willing to take my case to the Supreme Court.
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Comment #7 posted by Hope on September 15, 2004 at 11:54:12 PT
another cool site, Jose!
Thanks, again.Very interesting.Very educational.I appreciate it very much.
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Comment #6 posted by Jose Melendez on September 15, 2004 at 11:29:50 PT
Got commerce?
Students of cannabis in commerce might find interesting the following essays detailing colonial era commercial value of cannabis and methods of preparation, entitled "The Importance of the Colonies to Great Britain, etc.", and including "Manner of Preparing Hemp for the Manufacturers", written by John Rutherfurd in 1761:http://www.ah.dcr.state.nc.us/sections/hp/colonial/Bookshelf/Tracts/Importance/Default.htm 
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Comment #5 posted by Hope on September 15, 2004 at 08:25:55 PT
Walters
should be trying to get Washington's picture off the dollar bill and out of every first grade classroom. The man was a purveyor of the "most dangerous" to society drug in the world! 
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Comment #4 posted by Hope on September 15, 2004 at 08:20:10 PT
According to the site Jose linked to
http://www.umsl.edu/~rkeel/180/highsociety.htmlGeorge Washington was into "Overgrow America" before "Overgrow America"!"Washington made specific written references to Indian hemp, or cannabis indica, and hoped to "have disseminated the seed to others. ""George Washington, The Father of our country, our first President, a revolutionary...the disseminater.I bet John Walters could make that sound hideous. Spluttering..."Why...why...why...the man was a disseminater...a damned disseminater!"He could make that sound bad...like he's tried to do with the word "legalizer".
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Comment #3 posted by Hope on September 15, 2004 at 08:11:29 PT
George Washington
according to Jose in a thread at http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/19/thread19490.shtmlGeorge Washington recorded in a diary that he loved the smell of hemp in bloom.I have greater respect for that fine nose than I ever have.
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Comment #2 posted by TroutMask on September 15, 2004 at 07:20:54 PT
Pot's nothin
They should spend a day, no - an HOUR near a pig farm. Hmm, maybe if we fed hemp to pigs....
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Comment #1 posted by siege on September 15, 2004 at 07:15:40 PT
      HEMP field's 
 It sounds like you have a Ax to grind! What DEA officer threatened your well paying job? if you did not come out on the mater of the nuisance problem? that is nonexistence and would this be the same with all HEMP field's when we can grow to make a living? I happen to like the aroma of GOD'S Plants. IF Air Pollution Control agency would work with the  medical marijuana gardens so there can be a good relation ship between them and there neighbors'. then there would be   (NO) nuisance problems. Then your agency could get down to what the real problems are with Air Pollution instead of bellyaching like some cry baby.
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