Supervisors to decide fate of many SLO County pot growers. Will they do the right thing?
San Luis Obispo County has a lousy track record with the cannabis industry, dating back to the days when only medical marijuana was legal in California.
Back then, the county had an ordinance on the books that allowed storefront dispensaries — as long as they weren’t close to residential neighborhoods, downtown businesses districts, schools, parks and churches.
Yet when an applicant finally found a suitable location, the conservative majority on the Board of Supervisors found a reason to deny a permit anyway.
Now, it’s cannabis growers and their employees who say they’re getting the run-around.
Dozens of them attended a Board of Supervisors meeting last month to complain that the county’s permitting process for marijuana grows is taking far too long.
They asked the county Board of Supervisors to extend the Dec. 31, 2019, deadline for obtaining.
Without an extension, growers have two choices: Operate illegally or go out of business, which would put many employees out of work.
The board is scheduled to consider the request when it meets Tuesday, Jan 14.
Supervisors should extend the deadline for those growers who are following the rules.
As long as applicants applied for permits in good faith and have been diligent in working through the permitting process, they should not be penalized because the county was overly optimistic about how quickly it could complete its work of processing permits.
An extension of, say, six months to a year would give both parties some breathing room.
Growers would not have to shut down operations, and county staff would not have to rush through a complicated permitting process.
Learn from Santa Barbara
It’s critical that San Luis Obispo County take all the time it needs to get this right.
We don’t want wind up like neighboring Santa Barbara County, where there are complaints that communities are being overrun by huge marijuana grows.
In Carpinteria, for instance, grows are so close to schools that, according to a Los Angeles Times op-ed, “The skunk smell of growing marijuana permeates classrooms, sports field and hallways. ... It won’t get kids high, but it’s a respiratory and throat irritant. ...”
San Luis Obispo County should conduct thorough reviews and inspections to protect residents, especially since marijuana grows pose particular challenges on account of the noxious odor issue.
But after opening the door to legal cultivation, the county cannot arbitrarily close it — which is exactly what the Board of Supervisors will be doing if it refuses to extend the deadline.
Illegal operations
It’s true there are some bad actors in the local cannabis industry — last month, for instance, The Tribune reported that the state has filed a civil action against a company that was allegedly processing joints in a Nipomo warehouse without a state license.
In another instance that occurred last year, the county issued a dispensary permit to a man facing federal drug and money-laundering charges. (The permit was a preliminary step in the process; SLO County had not yet conducted a criminal background check.)
But these examples should not taint an entire industry that, like it or not, is now legal.
Cannabis-related businesses — including farms — are here to stay, and it’s far better that they operate under county rules and regulations that require meeting standards for air quality, odor control, screening and fencing, and water use, among others.
Also, permit holders are required to enroll in a county-run monitoring program.
Again, growers willing to play by the rules should not be penalized because the county can’t process their applications in time to meet an unrealistic deadline.
The Board of Supervisors to extend the deadline for cannabis growers who are acting in good faith, while cracking down on those violating the rules.
This story was originally published December 19, 2019 at 10:32 AM.
