Tuesday, May 18, 2010 • Supervisors impose 45-day moratoria on medical marijuana
The Lassen County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved two emergency ordinances at a special evening meeting held at Jensen Hall in Susanville on Tuesday, May 11 that impose a 45-day moratoria on the establishment of medical marijuana dispensaries and/or cultivation of medical marijuana in the unincorporated areas of the county.
Tim Ziegler poses with an immature marijuana plant at his Johnstonville Road garden.The board also directed staff to review potential regulatory procedures and policies regarding the appropriate zoning of marijuana dispensaries and gardens. The board must hold a public hearing to extend the moratoria beyond 45 days for a period of 10 months. The board also could approve a second 10-month extension.
In order to enact the emergency ordinances, the board determined there is “a current and immediate threat to public health, safety and welfare” from several new medical marijuana dispensaries or gardens in the county. Each of the ordinances was “declared an urgency measure for the immediate protection and preservation of the public peace, health, safety and welfare.”
According to county staff, “medical marijuana dispensaries and cultivation are not defined in Lassen County Code Title 18 (Ordinance 467) and are therefore not allowed by right or by use permit in Lassen County.”
An estimated 200 community members attended the meeting and expressed varied opinions on marijuana, medical marijuana, a new marijuana garden on Johnstonville Road and two new dispensaries — one on Johnstonville Road and another on Main Street in Janesville.
