SANTA CRUZ >> By odd coincidence, the county held its final meeting to solicit input on a draft report on permanent cannabis cultivation regulations eighty years to the day after the plant was federally banned.
Of the 70 or so people who filled the board of supervisors’ chambers Monday evening, close to two dozen made public comments. Most of those who spoke identified themselves as cannabis growers or dispensary owners and criticized what they said were overly stringent regulations related to fire safety measures, easements and plant density.
STATE BY STATE: California Cannabis News
The meeting was the second opportunity to comment on a draft environmental impact report on the proposed regulations published Aug. 31. Additional public comments may be submitted through Oct. 31, and all will be included as part of the final report that supervisors will evaluate before passing permanent regulations on where and how cannabis may be grown in unincorporated areas of Santa Cruz County.
A concern raised multiple times at the Monday meeting centered on the proposed fire safety requirements for cannabis grows that would lump greenhouses and drying rooms in the same stringent category as commercial manufacturing facilities where beds, furniture and even airplanes are made. Generally greenhouses fall under a less stringent fire safety category.
