COUNTY SHOULD ENFORCE MARIJUANA LAWS

In December 2009, Tulare County Ordinance Chapter 11 was adopted to
create enforceable regulations for those who wish to cultivate medical
marijuana. These regulations, when followed, provide a safe
environment for both the farmers and those living in the areas
neighboring such farms.

Thus far, District Attorney Phil Cline has hesitated to enforce this
county ordinance and prosecute those who are out of compliance.

Chapter 11(d) states that "the cultivation, growing or distribution of
medical marijuana within Tulare County shall at all times occur within
a secure, locked and fully enclosed structure including a ceiling,
roof or top" and exterior appearances should not diminish property
values.

Farming operations that adhere to these regulations are typically not
found in the headlines of newspapers citing the need to protect their
medicinal crops by shooting, wounding, and/or killing unwanted
criminals lured in by crop exposure. Non-compliant farms are openly
found in gutted orchards or dug-out dirt basins sporting ramshackle
fences, poorly maintained shacks, guarded by unkempt and underfed dogs.

The safety and quality of rural living is being compromised, and
farmers who have dedicated their lives for generations are now being
greeted by the criminal elements of these out-of-compliance farms. Now
is the time to demand that our Tulare County Ordinance Chapter 11 be
enforced before more lives are lost.

Please contact District Attorney Phil Cline to urge him to prosecute
those who violate not just the law, but also, and more importantly,
the Tulare County ordinance. We need criminal charges and we need them
now.

Deina Schultz

Terra Bella