As we explore local California cannabis ordinances best and worst practices, we turn to Santa Barbara County, which just created a registry for cultivators to come out of the shadows and onto a path towards legitimacy. I spoke to Supervisor Steve Lavagnino, and will publish some quotes from that conversation shortly.
Below is the announcement from the county.
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) – On April 11, 2017, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors adopted an ordinance establishing a limited term, non-personal cannabis cultivation and related Operations Registry Program within the unincorporated areas of the county. The ordinance was developed in response to medical and recreational marijuana (cannabis) cultivation following the passage of Proposition 64 (Adult Use of Marijuana Act) by California voters in the November 2016 general election.
This registry is not intended for those individuals cultivating cannabis for personal medical use in compliance with County Code Section 35-1003 A.1, or cultivating only six cannabis plants in compliance with Health and Safety Code section 11362.2. The online registry launched today at https://secure.countyofsb.org/cannabis/registration. Due to sensitive information, the registry is through a secured website maintained by the County.
The goals of the registry program are to:
Collect data on past, current and planned cannabis cultivation or related operations in the unincorporated area of the County,
Inform future cannabis studies, including, but not limited to, a California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) environmental impact analysis and possibly a separate economic impact analysis, and
Establish a pool of registrants who may receive priority review when they submit an application for the cultivation of cannabis or related cannabis operations in the unincorporated area of Santa Barbara County.
The registry program allows individuals to provide basic information on the scale of their past or current medical cannabis cultivation operation or intended future medical or non-medical cannabis operations through an online registration tool. It will also allow individuals interested in future commercial cannabis operations who are not currently functioning but have a site and the intent to cultivate or manufacture cannabis or cannabis-based products to register their intent.
The registry program is open through June 30, 2017. The registry will not be used to collect information regarding those who are cultivating cannabis for personal use as allowed by County Code and state law.
The Board has discretion in allowing or prohibiting various cannabis related business activities, including establishment of local regulations, business licensing, and land use permitting, in combination with state regulation and licensing through California’s medical cannabis statutes and the statutes approved by California voters through Proposition 64.
The County established an Ad Hoc Committee of the Board and staff to research, establish and monitor cannabis operations. The Committee consists of First District Supervisor Das Williams, Fifth District Supervisor Steve Lavagnino, and staff from the County Executive Office, Agriculture Commission, Planning & Development, Public Health/Environmental Health, Sheriff’s Office and District Attorney.
The Committee is hosting its first public meeting from noon-2 p.m., Tuesday, April 25 to receive and provide input regarding the regulation of medical and recreational cannabis. The meeting will be held in the Santa Barbara County First Floor Planning Commission Hearing Room, 105 E. Anapamu St.
For information about Santa Barbara County government, go to www.CountyofSB.org.