Jim Finnel
Fallen Cannabis Warrior & Ex News Moderator
A medical marijuana patient shamed the Rocklin City Council after the unanimous approval of the city’s new ordinance to regulate the cultivation of medical marijuana.
“Shame on you,” Rocklin resident Chris Novak shouted after the Dec. 14 public vote.
The new ordinance bans outdoor cultivation of marijuana plants of any size and describes it as a public nuisance. After the final reading of the ordinance, it will now be unlawful for anyone owning, leasing, occupying or having charge or possession of a parcel within the city limit to allow the premises to be used for outdoor cultivation of marijuana.
Novak told the council during the meeting that he suffers from chronic pain from knee surgery and pleaded with them not to ban outdoor cultivation in the city.
“It takes a lot of space, a lot of plant and a lot of material to create enough cannabis necessary for an edible medication,” Novak said.
He said he grows nearly 500 plants a year and still has to buy more to meet his medical needs. The ordinance would restrict indoor pot grows to an area of 50 square feet with a limit of 10 feet high and not be visible from the window while using lights that do not exceed 1,200 watts.
“It takes at least three rooms in an interior grow. You are going to have to run four 1, 000-watt lights,” Novak said. “With the rates of electricity in the Rocklin area, you are looking at $1,200 to $1,400 a month to grow your medical marijuana. That’s impossible. Most people who need this can’t even get out of bed in the morning.”
Lanette Davies, who represents Crusaders for Patients Rights, said she came to the council to speak for 199 Rocklin citizens who use medical marijuana.
“We do need ordinances, we’re not objecting to that,” Davies said. “To say no outdoor cultivation — that’s something that’s stopping somebody from taking care of themselves.”
Davies pointed out a clause in the ordinance that she says it is illegal due to a recent appellate court decision in Butte County. The Rocklin clause states, “the authorized grower shall reside in the residence where the marijuana cultivation occurs and shall not participate in marijuana cultivation in any other residential location within the city.”
“That’s illegal,” Davies said.
The council went ahead with the vote even though Councilman Peter Hill inquired about the conflict and City Attorney Russell Hildebrand offered to brief the council on the case.
“We’re more than willing to work with staff on this issue. We want to see it done correctly so that it is safe for our community and safe for our patients,” Davies said.
Hilldebrand said the purpose of the ordinance was to get rid of a nuisance.
“We have a lot of two-story houses and fairly small lot lines,” Hildebrand said. “People look out their bedroom window and see a large marijuana grow and they worry about the circumstances and sometimes things happen. We bring it indoors, it is out of sight. That’s one way to eliminate those impacts. We’re not trying to say only the patient must live in the house where the marijuana is grown. We just don’t want to have a pot house.”
Patients can be granted another 50-square-feet of space indoors if they ask the city for an exception. Joy Cole, a cancer survivor and patient rights advocate from Sac Patients, complained the city doesn’t understand the issue from the patient’s point of view.
“I would request that y’all learn more about it,” Cole told the council. “We’re bordering on discriminatory.”
Vice Mayor Brett Storey deflected the notion that the council wasn’t making a careful decision.
“While you’ve given us some compelling things to think about, we also have a large number of citizens who don’t want to see marijuana grown in the outdoors,” Storey said. “It does often grow higher than fence lines. We have quite a large population of children living in this town. What we may vote on may seem without thought to you, but we have struggled with how to implement an ordinance that is as fair as we can make it.”
Mayor George Magnuson said enacting the new ordinance doesn’t mean the issue is over.
“It doesn’t mean that things won’t be revisited in the future,” Magnuson said.
The city already bans commercial medical marijuana dispensaries in the city limit.
NewsHawk: Jim Behr: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: placerherald.com
Author: Jon Brines
Copyright: 2010 Gold Country Media
Contact: Home - Rocklin
Website: Pot ordinance draws community ire - Rocklin
“Shame on you,” Rocklin resident Chris Novak shouted after the Dec. 14 public vote.
The new ordinance bans outdoor cultivation of marijuana plants of any size and describes it as a public nuisance. After the final reading of the ordinance, it will now be unlawful for anyone owning, leasing, occupying or having charge or possession of a parcel within the city limit to allow the premises to be used for outdoor cultivation of marijuana.
Novak told the council during the meeting that he suffers from chronic pain from knee surgery and pleaded with them not to ban outdoor cultivation in the city.
“It takes a lot of space, a lot of plant and a lot of material to create enough cannabis necessary for an edible medication,” Novak said.
He said he grows nearly 500 plants a year and still has to buy more to meet his medical needs. The ordinance would restrict indoor pot grows to an area of 50 square feet with a limit of 10 feet high and not be visible from the window while using lights that do not exceed 1,200 watts.
“It takes at least three rooms in an interior grow. You are going to have to run four 1, 000-watt lights,” Novak said. “With the rates of electricity in the Rocklin area, you are looking at $1,200 to $1,400 a month to grow your medical marijuana. That’s impossible. Most people who need this can’t even get out of bed in the morning.”
Lanette Davies, who represents Crusaders for Patients Rights, said she came to the council to speak for 199 Rocklin citizens who use medical marijuana.
“We do need ordinances, we’re not objecting to that,” Davies said. “To say no outdoor cultivation — that’s something that’s stopping somebody from taking care of themselves.”
Davies pointed out a clause in the ordinance that she says it is illegal due to a recent appellate court decision in Butte County. The Rocklin clause states, “the authorized grower shall reside in the residence where the marijuana cultivation occurs and shall not participate in marijuana cultivation in any other residential location within the city.”
“That’s illegal,” Davies said.
The council went ahead with the vote even though Councilman Peter Hill inquired about the conflict and City Attorney Russell Hildebrand offered to brief the council on the case.
“We’re more than willing to work with staff on this issue. We want to see it done correctly so that it is safe for our community and safe for our patients,” Davies said.
Hilldebrand said the purpose of the ordinance was to get rid of a nuisance.
“We have a lot of two-story houses and fairly small lot lines,” Hildebrand said. “People look out their bedroom window and see a large marijuana grow and they worry about the circumstances and sometimes things happen. We bring it indoors, it is out of sight. That’s one way to eliminate those impacts. We’re not trying to say only the patient must live in the house where the marijuana is grown. We just don’t want to have a pot house.”
Patients can be granted another 50-square-feet of space indoors if they ask the city for an exception. Joy Cole, a cancer survivor and patient rights advocate from Sac Patients, complained the city doesn’t understand the issue from the patient’s point of view.
“I would request that y’all learn more about it,” Cole told the council. “We’re bordering on discriminatory.”
Vice Mayor Brett Storey deflected the notion that the council wasn’t making a careful decision.
“While you’ve given us some compelling things to think about, we also have a large number of citizens who don’t want to see marijuana grown in the outdoors,” Storey said. “It does often grow higher than fence lines. We have quite a large population of children living in this town. What we may vote on may seem without thought to you, but we have struggled with how to implement an ordinance that is as fair as we can make it.”
Mayor George Magnuson said enacting the new ordinance doesn’t mean the issue is over.
“It doesn’t mean that things won’t be revisited in the future,” Magnuson said.
The city already bans commercial medical marijuana dispensaries in the city limit.
NewsHawk: Jim Behr: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: placerherald.com
Author: Jon Brines
Copyright: 2010 Gold Country Media
Contact: Home - Rocklin
Website: Pot ordinance draws community ire - Rocklin
