DELBAR, WATTENBURGER DISAGREE ON POT PLANT LIMITS

Supervisors Michael Delbar and Jim Wattenburger could not reach
agreement Monday on the number of plants to recommend as the maximum
permissible in the committee's draft medical marijuana possession
guidelines resolution.

Wattenburger favored setting the limit at 12 mature female plants,
and 18 immature female plants. Delbar said that he wanted to stick
to the limits as defined by the state, encoded in its Senate Bill
420, at 6 mature plants and 12 immature plants.

Since the two committee members could not reach agreement, Chairman
Wattenburger ordered that the resolution will be sent forward to the
full board of supervisors for discussion and possible action on August 7.

Sheriff Tom Allman was present at the meeting and recommended that
the committee adopt the 25 plant limit suggested by Measure G, which
was approved by Mendocino County voters in November 2000.

"If we are looking for an out on this, Measure G is our out," Allman
told the committee.

Wattenburger said he could not support Measure G because of numerous
conversations he has had with people who told him that, if given the
choice to re-vote for Measure G today, they would not do so.
Wattenburger said that he was also opposed to the way that some
medical marijuana growers are allegedly using Measure G and the
county's existing policy to derive financial benefit for themselves.

"I've had conversations with people who told me that they use ten or
twelve plants and then sell the rest to make the money,"
Wattenburger said. "And I want you to know that that bothers me very much."

However, Wattenburger said that he wanted to adopt a number that
would "compassionately look at the needs of legitimate patients."

Delbar, however, said that he could not support such a high number.
"There problem is we have a problem that is out of control." Delbar
said. "I am told that a conservative number (for amount of pot
production per plant) is a pound per plant. I've heard that some
growers can regularly get three or four pounds per plant. With that
said, setting the number at six mature plants -- that's six pounds
of product. I don't see where having six pounds of product is
short-changing those people who really need it."

Delbar then asked Allman for some guidance on a number that he
considered to be reasonable or warranted.

"I don't think it's up to us," Allman said. "I don't think we can
have a law that doctors are going to go against. If we go for six
plants, public safety in this county will not be improved. Public
safety will be diminished. Let's make a difference where we can, and
let's not over-extend our resources."

Allman also asked the two committee members to set their sites a
little lower. "We're not going to do it all this year," he said. "If
this year we can differentiate between legal and illegal marijuana,
we will have accomplished something."

After some discussion, Wattenburger attempted to get Delbar to agree
on a compromise. He suggested a plant limit of 12 mature/18 immature
for indoor growing, and 6 mature and 12 immature for outdoor
growing. But Delbar wouldn't agree to his offer.

Wattenburger then ordered that the issue be referred to the full
board on the next available date, which was discovered to be August
7. In January, the board had decided that it would not meet on three
Tuesday in the month of July.