cannabisnews.com: Council Supports Repeal of Measure G

Council Supports Repeal of Measure G
Posted by CN Staff on January 06, 2008 at 06:35:25 PT
By Rob Burgess, The Daily Journal
Source: Ukiah Daily Journal
California -- At a special meeting Friday, the Ukiah City Council unanimously approved the formulation of a letter in support of a proposed ballot initiative to repeal Measure G, the adoption of the state limits in regard to medical marijuana and the establishment of 25 plants per parcel as a set guideline.The letter was placed on the council's agenda in response to a timed item on the issue set for about 1:45 p.m. at Tuesday's Mendocino County Board of Supervisors meeting in the board's chambers.
On Nov. 8, 2000, Mendocino County voters approved Measure G, a resolution calling for the decriminalization of personal use and cultivation of marijuana, by a vote of 58 percent.At the Dec. 11 Board of Supervisors meeting, the board voted 3-2 to restrict the number of marijuana plants allowed on any one parcel of land to 25, regardless of the number of qualified patients residing there.Ukiah City Councilmember John McCowen said rolling back the amount of marijuana allowed in the county to the state limits would not hinder patients obtaining the medicine, but would be a first step to curbing rampant abuses."It has become evident to a lot of people that the 25-plant limit has allowed commercial growing," he said. "If we affirm the 25 plants per parcel rule, that still would mean you would have enough for four patients grown on one parcel. You'd be entitled to the 25 only if you had enough patients living there."According to NORML, the current state limits are defined under Senate Bill 420, which was signed into law in October 2003 and took effect on Jan. 1, 2004. Under S.B. 420, qualified patients and/or their primary caregivers may possess no more than eight ounces of dried marijuana and/or six mature, or 12 immature, marijuana plants. The bill also allows patients to possess larger amounts of marijuana when such quantities are recommended by a physician. During public comment, local Green Party chairman Richard Johnson, who helped author Measure G, said the decision to draft the letter was in effect giving the board carte blanche to do what it pleased."What you're doing now is giving a blank check to an initiative to which you're only given sketchy verbal details on," he said. Johnson said associating Measure G with medical marijuana is wrongheaded, as the language never refers to its remedial uses."Measure G does not regulate medical marijuana," he said. "Measure G does not mention medical marijuana. It's about cultivation and possession for personal use."Vice-mayor Phil Baldwin said that since Measure G went into effect, a growing criminal element has gravitated toward the county as a direct result. "Marijuana-related crime has increased significantly since Measure G was passed," he said. "When Measure G passed, people moved their operations from Humboldt to northern Mendocino County because the perception was that it was legal here...This is one source of income that is simply not being taxed."McCowen and fellow Councilmember Benj Thomas volunteered to form a subcommittee to write the letter before the council approved the action 5-0.Source: Ukiah Daily Journal (CA)Author: Rob Burgess, The Daily JournalPublished: January 5, 2008Copyright: 2008 Ukiah Daily JournalContact: udjrb pacific.netWebsite: http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/Related Articles & Web Site:NORMLhttp://www.norml.org/ Ukiahan Seeks To Overturn Measure Ghttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread23568.shtmlTime To Repeal Measure Ghttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread23551.shtml
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on January 07, 2008 at 10:46:01 PT
Related Article From The Ukiah Daily Journal
In Our Opinion: The Supervisors Should Let The People Decide***By repealing Measure G and its 25-plant rule, we eliminate the excuse for the greedy commercial growers in our neighborhoods to have gardens of sometimes hundreds of plants. And more important we send a message to the growers, our Sheriff and our District.January 7, 2008On Tuesday, the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to have a discussion about putting a ballot proposition on the local June ballot to repeal the 25-plant Measure G and limit medical marijuana growing to the six plants per person allowed under state regulations.We believe there is good reason to say yes to this idea regardless of where you stand on marijuana growing in this county.When Measure G was passed we had no state regulations to follow to regulate medical marijuana growing. Now we do.When Measure G was passed we had seen little local impact of the abuses of medical marijuana growing. Now we have.Measure G was an experiment that simply didn't work.Commercial marijuana cultivation has become one of the fastest growing "industries" in our county. It is making local neighborhoods unsafe, creating an growing unskilled underground workforce, and exposing us to environmental hazards.Also distressing are the millions of dollars being made off the truly sick and dying who are being charged street prices for this "medicine" these greedy no-limit growers are harvesting at our expense. Measure G supporters will say that Measure G has nothing to do with medical marijuana and that protecting mom and pop personal use growers is still a good idea in this county. The problem with Measure G is that it has been used as the excuse to let medical marijuana growers claim they need 25 plants per person. Then when they also claim they have four five or 10 people to grow for as "caregivers," another commercial marijuana garden is born. Measure G has made it almost impossible for our Sheriff and District Attorney to crack down on the abuses of medical marijuana growing since we have a local ordinance allowing anyone to grow 25 plants.
Even if we repeal Measure G, anyone growing one or two, or even six healthy marijuana plants - more than enough for anyone's personal use or any patient's medicine - is not going to be prosecuted in this county as a simple practical matter since six plants will be the rule for medical marijuana growing. If you agree, now is the time to let your supervisors know. Better yet, come to Tuesday's meeting. The discussion is scheduled after 1 p.m. Let them see you in their chambers as they make this decision. Remember, this decision is only to put a repeal on the ballot so that the citizens can decide. No supervisor should object to that.Copyright: 2008 Ukiah Daily Journalhttp://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/editorial/ci_7902995
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Comment #2 posted by duzt on January 06, 2008 at 10:02:48 PT
county listens to about 3 rich people here
this county only listens to the rich companies coming here, they don listen to the people. There is very little crime here and no change from 10 years ago. They will say the same BS over and over and never have to prove or show where they get the stats. Never again will I live in California, what a joke of a state now. Very frustrating when the elected lie to get in then turn on the people that got them there. Meth is everywhere and now they are saying 25 plants for medical is people who are cutting off mountain tops and running around with AK-47愀. These idiots live in their own minds, no reality in anything they say. Fortunately there are some very good alternatives to these morons in the next election and if these jackasses don get voted out (pretty sure they will) then this county is set for disaster. No jobs, outrageous housing costs and no hope unless you listen to the supes who seem to think a big costco and shopping mall is the solution here. God these republican conservatives are horrible excuses for human beings. they only think about themselves and they tend to be wrong about everything.
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Comment #1 posted by OverwhelmSam on January 06, 2008 at 06:47:28 PT
A Call For Action
These county representatives and commissioners deserve a little more attention when it comes time to de-elect them.
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