Robert Celt
New Member
The Sacramento City Council approved an ordinance Tuesday night that allows medical marijuana to be cultivated inside buildings.
According to the new ordinance, the buildings can be up to 22,000 square feet, which is roughly the size of four and a half NBA basketball courts.
The buildings must be zoned for agriculture or for commercial use and cannot be near a park or school. City leaders are still working to determine whether the buildings should be kept a minimum of 600 feet or 1,000 feet away.
marijuana industry applauded the decision. California Cannabis Industry Association Executive Director Nate Bradley said it moves cannabis cultivation a step closer to being treated no differently from other crops.
"It's phenomenal that a conservative town like Sacramento chose to recognize this industry instead of pretending that it's not there like a lot of other local governments do," Bradley said.
With the ordinance, Sacramento becomes the largest city in California to approve large-scale cultivation.
The city will tax cultivators at 4 percent and expect to generate $1 million in new revenue.
Potential growers will need to apply for a permit through the city in order to cultivate. The number of permits the city will issue is still being considered by the council.
"The fear of doing too many is, I guess, being a medical marijuana cultivation hub," Sacramento Finance Director Brad Wasson said. "I'm not sure that that's the image that we want to have in Sacramento."
It's a concern shared by District Six Councilman Eric Guerra, whose southeast Sacramento district is expected to see 80 percent of the cultivation.
"We're looking at this area as a new place for advanced manufacturing," Guerra said. "We want to develop a research park and we can't allow a new industry like cannabis cultivation to jeopardize those major efforts."
Though 22,000 square feet is a huge space, city staff anticipates most cultivators will grow in areas much smaller.
Richard Miller attended Tuesday's meeting and currently cultivates less than 100 plants. Given the opportunity, he said he wouldn't grow too many more.
"That's a lot of work. People don't seem to realize how hard it is to grow cannabis, and I would do it on a much smaller scale," he said.
The city was up against astate deadline that gave the city until March 1to come up with cultivation guidelines. If the city had not acted, state officials would have stepped in and made the rules for Sacramento.
City leaders added a 45 day moratorium to the ordinance, giving them a month and a half to iron out the details.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Sacramento Passes New Medical Marijuana Cultivation Ordinance
Author: Staff
Contact: KCRA3
Photo Credit: Jennifer Simonson
Website: KCRA3
According to the new ordinance, the buildings can be up to 22,000 square feet, which is roughly the size of four and a half NBA basketball courts.
The buildings must be zoned for agriculture or for commercial use and cannot be near a park or school. City leaders are still working to determine whether the buildings should be kept a minimum of 600 feet or 1,000 feet away.
marijuana industry applauded the decision. California Cannabis Industry Association Executive Director Nate Bradley said it moves cannabis cultivation a step closer to being treated no differently from other crops.
"It's phenomenal that a conservative town like Sacramento chose to recognize this industry instead of pretending that it's not there like a lot of other local governments do," Bradley said.
With the ordinance, Sacramento becomes the largest city in California to approve large-scale cultivation.
The city will tax cultivators at 4 percent and expect to generate $1 million in new revenue.
Potential growers will need to apply for a permit through the city in order to cultivate. The number of permits the city will issue is still being considered by the council.
"The fear of doing too many is, I guess, being a medical marijuana cultivation hub," Sacramento Finance Director Brad Wasson said. "I'm not sure that that's the image that we want to have in Sacramento."
It's a concern shared by District Six Councilman Eric Guerra, whose southeast Sacramento district is expected to see 80 percent of the cultivation.
"We're looking at this area as a new place for advanced manufacturing," Guerra said. "We want to develop a research park and we can't allow a new industry like cannabis cultivation to jeopardize those major efforts."
Though 22,000 square feet is a huge space, city staff anticipates most cultivators will grow in areas much smaller.
Richard Miller attended Tuesday's meeting and currently cultivates less than 100 plants. Given the opportunity, he said he wouldn't grow too many more.
"That's a lot of work. People don't seem to realize how hard it is to grow cannabis, and I would do it on a much smaller scale," he said.
The city was up against astate deadline that gave the city until March 1to come up with cultivation guidelines. If the city had not acted, state officials would have stepped in and made the rules for Sacramento.
City leaders added a 45 day moratorium to the ordinance, giving them a month and a half to iron out the details.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Sacramento Passes New Medical Marijuana Cultivation Ordinance
Author: Staff
Contact: KCRA3
Photo Credit: Jennifer Simonson
Website: KCRA3
