PRO-POT MEASURE RETURNS TO BALLOT

A landmark 2000 Mendocino County marijuana measure will be back
before voters in the June primary, a move taken Tuesday by the Board
of Supervisors after a contentious three-hour public hearing.

"It's a big step toward regaining control of our county," said Ross
Liberty of Ukiah, one of the organizers of a drive to repeal Measure G.

County supervisors decided 4-1 to put the fate of Measure G up for
voter review over the objections of longtime local advocates of
decriminalization of pot for personal and medical uses.

Measure G garnered national attention seven years ago by becoming the
first measure in the United States to allow an individual to grow up
to 25 plants for personal use without fear of prosecution. It paved
the way for locally liberal law enforcement policies surrounding
medical marijuana use.

But the measure since has been blamed for a surge in local pot
production under the guise of medical marijuana use and a host of
crime-related problems that have taxed law enforcement agencies.

The board's vote Tuesday allowed proponents of Measure G's repeal to
avoid a lengthy and potentially costly signature-gathering process to
qualify the measure for the ballot. Supporters presented the board
with petitions bearing the names of 942 registered voters in support
of a second look at Measure G.

Besides deciding to put Measure G on the ballot, the board in a
separate action also imposed a 25-plant limit per parcel of property
on licensed medical marijuana providers. The parcel limit is seen as
a way to clamp down on a proliferation of large marijuana
plantations, some totaling 10,000 plants or more.