cannabisnews.com: Mendocino County Mulls Organic Pot Mendocino County Mulls Organic Pot Posted by CN Staff on February 14, 2005 at 17:24:07 PT By Michelle Locke, Associated Press Source: Associated Press Berkeley, Calif. - Mendocino County, the rugged California outpost that was first in the nation to ban genetically modified crops, is striding toward a new agriculture frontier with a proposal to certify medical marijuana as organic.The notion of pesticide-free pot is eliciting a few chuckles. But county officials, who are waiting to hear back from the state agriculture secretary about their proposal, say the issue is quite serious - with no system to regulate cultivation, consumers are at risk. "We regulate wine grape growers and pear growers and everybody else, so why shouldn't we also regulate pot growers?" said Tony Linegar, assistant agricultural commissioner for Mendocino County. "It's really an agricultural crop. In our estimate it should be subject to a lot of the same laws and regulations as commercial agriculture."If the county got the go-ahead to regulate organic medical marijuana it would be "absolutely a first," said Allen St. Pierre of the Washington, D.C.-based National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.Nationally, several states have approved medical marijuana, but federal authorities adamantly oppose the idea.Meanwhile, medical marijuana has slowly moved toward the mainstream, albeit in piecemeal fashion, with local law enforcement agencies issuing "user cards," and insurance companies honoring claims for stolen plants.Regulating cultivation would be "a huge leap in the public discourse and policy making in that it recognizes that medical cannabis is legal but it needs to have some sort of local controls placed on it," said St. Pierre.In Mendocino County, where two medical marijuana growers have asked for organic certification, Linegar said he and his colleagues are looking for some direction.Mendocino County Agricultural Commissioner Dave Bengston wrote to the state department of food and agriculture last month, asking if the county can certify pot as organic and if employees should be inspecting marijuana nurseries to check for pests and other problems as they do with other crops.Department spokesman Jay Van Rein said Monday the secretary is evaluating the request.Linegar said he could not estimate how much marijuana is grown in Mendocino County, about 100 miles north of San Francisco, although it generally is considered prime pot territory.The first time someone brought in a pot plant for a health check, was "awkward," he said.Problems facing marijuana growers range from mites and mildew for indoor operations to the cornmeal worm outdoors.With no products officially developed for marijuana cultivation, some growers have been using chemicals intended for ornamental plants, which could make users sick, said Linegar.Mendocino set a pot precedent in 2000 with a ballot issue allowing residents to grow a small amount of marijuana - the move was largely symbolic since state and federal prohibitions rule.Last year, county voters passed a first-in-the-nation measure banning the raising of genetically engineered plants and animals."When things like this crop up it's almost our county that's on the cutting left edge if you will," Linegar said. "When I'm discussing these issues with my counterparts in other counties, they really can't relate to the problems that we're facing in Mendocino. They laugh sometimes. But to us it's really a serious issue." Source: Associated Press (Wire)Author: Michelle Locke, Associated PressPublished: February 14, 2005Copyright: 2005 The Associated Press Related Articles & Web Sites:NORMLhttp://www.norml.org/Northern California NORML http://www.norcalnorml.org/Organic Veggies, Wine - Why Not Pot?http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread20232.shtmlMarijuana Ordinance Approvedhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread20148.shtmlPot Odors Wafting in Valleyhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19470.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #4 posted by FoM on March 03, 2005 at 12:22:39 PT State Says County Can't Certify Medical Marijuana March 03, 2005UKIAH, Calif. -- State officials have told Mendocino County agriculture administrators they can't certify medical marijuana as organic.But another state agency said it probably is O-K for the county to advise medical marijuana growers about pesticide use.Mendocino County Agricultural Commissioner Dave Bengston recently state regulators if his office should certify the crop and regulate it to protect consumers from dangerous pesticides.Copyright 2005 Associated Presshttp://www.kesq.com/Global/story.asp?S=3026676 [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by FoM on February 18, 2005 at 13:47:25 PT Picture and Ad on This Link This is the AP article I just posted but the picture and ad are really good. Here's the link.http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6994425/ [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by FoM on February 18, 2005 at 13:27:48 PT Related Article from AP: Pure Green Friday, February 18, 2005 Berkeley, Calif. — Medical-marijuana growers in Mendocino County — a Northern California outpost that is home to vegans, vintners, libertarians and aging hippies — want to have their pot certified as organic.The notion of pesticide-free pot is making some people smile. But county officials say the issue is serious, and they are asking the state whether they can regulate pot-growing and pronounce some crops organic.They say that with no system to regulate cultivation, consumers are at risk.“We regulate wine grape growers and pear growers and everybody else, so why shouldn't we also regulate pot growers?” said Tony Linegar, assistant agricultural commissioner for Mendocino County. “It's really an agricultural crop. In our estimate, it should be subject to a lot of the same laws and regulations as commercial agriculture.”California, one of 11 states with medical marijuana laws, allows people to grow, smoke or obtain pot with a doctor's recommendation. Around the country, medical marijuana has slowly moved toward the mainstream, with local law enforcement agencies issuing “user cards,” and insurance companies honouring claims for stolen plants.If the county got the go-ahead to regulate organic medical marijuana, it would be “a first,” said Allen St. Pierre of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. Regulating cultivation would be “a huge leap in the public discourse and policy-making, in that it recognizes that medical cannabis is legal but it needs to have some sort of local controls placed on it.”Acting on a request for two marijuana growers who want their crops to be certified organic, and concerned by reports of someone getting sick in another county from pesticide-treated marijuana, Mendocino County Agricultural Commissioner Dave Bengston wrote to the state Department of Food and Agriculture last month.Mr. Bengston asked whether the county can certify pot as organic and whether employees should be inspecting marijuana nurseries to check for pests and other problems as they do with other crops.Department spokesman Jay Van Rein said that the secretary is studying the request.Marijuana plants can be threatened by mites, mildew and cornmeal worms. But with no products officially developed for marijuana cultivation, some growers have been using chemicals intended for ornamental plants, which could make users sick, Mr. Linegar said.He could not estimate how much marijuana is grown in Mendocino County, about 160 kilometres north of San Francisco, but it is generally considered prime pot territory. And clearly not all of it is being grown for medicinal purposes.Copyright: 2005 Associated Presshttp://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20050218.wpott0218/BNStory/International/ [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by mayan on February 14, 2005 at 18:14:30 PT Makes Sense Shouldn't a sick person have the right to use the safest,purest medicine avaliable? It only makes sense.THE WAY OUT IS THE WAY IN...Reps. Waxman and Maloney Call for Hearings on FAA Warnings & Rice Veracity: http://www.911truth.org/article.php?story=20050212133957271Debunking The Debunkers: http://rense.com/general62/deun.htmBush Team Tried to Suppress Pre-9/11 Report Into al-Qa'ida: http://www.911truth.org/article.php?story=200502110943525989/11 Families' LTE: http://911citizenswatch.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=468&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0Bush Urges Renewal of Patriot Act: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=11&u=/ap/20050214/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush [ Post Comment ] Post Comment