BOARD BEGINS TALKS ON MARIJUANA ISSUES

Told It Should Set Growing Limits

Described at its outset as an "informative and educational discussion
focusing on local county impacts of marijuana in our community" by
Jennifer Wyatt of the county executive office, the Board of
Supervisors' Marijuana Workshop on Monday left nearly as many
questions as were answered.

The meeting, held in a cramped conference room filled by nearly 40
audience members at times, covered a wide array of marijuana-related
topics including the differentiation of issues surrounding marijuana
for medicinal purposes and its illegal counterpart.

At its conclusion, the Board of Supervisors asked the county executive
office to work with County Counsel to prepare an outline of what was
said at the five-hour meeting and make recommendations as to what
possible actions the board could take in the future regarding a number
of the concerns considered during discussion.

Some of the medicinal marijuana-related issues included whether or not
the Board should create countywide policies defining the allowed
locations for dispensaries and gardens, what "seriously ill" as stated
in the State's Compassionate Use Act of 1996 means, and the amount
those with doctors' recommendations can rightfully possess.

The Compassionate Use Act (Proposition 215), which gives "seriously
ill" patients and their caregivers the right to cultivate and possess
marijuana, allows for counties and cities to pass guidelines exceeding
its limits of 8 ounces of dried marijuana and six mature or 12
immature plants in maximum possession per patient.

District Attorney Norm Vroman said that Mendocino County does not
prosecute medical marijuana patients or their caregivers that possess
no more than a growth canopy of 100 square feet and 2 pounds of dried
marijuana, figures that were specified by Vroman and former Sheriff
Tony Craver.

County Counsel Jeanine Nadel, however, suggested that per SB 420, a
2003 bill that addressed anomalies in the Act, county limits should be
set by the supervisors.

"Since SB 420, it's really now up to the Board of Supervisors to adopt
by resolution any guidelines that exceed what's currently in the code,
and that hasn't happened yet," Nadel said. "I would strongly recommend
that you have a discussion with the sheriff and district attorney
about that."

In the realm of the illegal marijuana industry, which Supervisor Hal
Wagenet estimated accounted for 90 to 99 percent of all marijuana
grown in the county, environmental and public safety issues were discussed.

While both Sgt. Rusty Noe, commander of the County of Mendocino
Marijuana Eradication Team, and Assistant Agricultural Commissioner
Tony Linegar were hesitant to put a dollar amount on the marijuana
industry in Mendocino County, some gave an estimate of $1.5 billion.
The impact on the environment is also great, John Rogers, director of
environmental health for the Mendocino County Department of Public
Health, said.

According to Rogers, large marijuana farming operations often use
diesel-powered generators to run growing lights. The diesel, usually
stored in tanks meant for other purposes, can leak and cause soil
contamination and water contamination. In one instance, it cost
$650,000 to remove 200 truckloads of contaminated soil.

Many county departments present at the workshop also spoke to safety
issues related to marijuana farms. Marsha Wharff, speaking on behalf
of the Assessor's Office, and Chief Probation Officer Wes Forman cited
concerns of going into the public -- especially rural areas -- with
marked county cars for fear of negative response by marijuana farm
operators. Director of Public Health Carol Mordhorst also mentioned
the dangers that pit bulls used to guard farms present, saying that
those that escape or are let loose after harvesting injure people and
livestock.

Many members of the public spoke and asked questions of the county
officials and city representatives such as Willits City Manager Ross
Walker and Ukiah City Councilman John McCowen that spoke at the
workshop. Both Willits and Ukiah have implemented zoning ordinances
restricting the growth of medicinal marijuana to indoors in city limits.

Chairman of the Board Supervisor David Colfax suggested the county not
take on issues out of its control and deal with problems in the county
a piece at a time.

"We are getting into a very difficult area when we start taking on the
medical problems of medical marijuana and the criminal problems of
criminal marijuana and start mixing them up, so lets delineate sets of
problems that we need to deal with and go at it full speed, but with
all deliberate speed," Colfax said.

Colfax said he would set a date for further discussion after receiving
options for action from the County Executive Office and County Counsel.