Supervisors submit cannabis advisory question to voters
With a 4-1 vote, the Lassen County’s Board of Supervisors approved a resolution at its Tuesday, July 12 meeting to put the commercial cannabis question to the voters.
According to the resolution, there are no legally permitted indoor commercial cannabis cultivation sites in the county, and “a county may hold, at its discretion, an advisory election to recei8ve indication of general voter opinions on substantive issues and the results of the advisory vote will in no manner be controlling on the Board of Supervisors … ”
Voters will have an opportunity to vote yes or no on the question: “Shall the Board of Supervisors of the County of Lassen consider enacting an ordinance for permitting and regulating legally permitted commercial indoor cannabis cultivation sites in the industrially zoned unincorporated areas of Lassen County?”
Supervisors Chris Gallagher, Gary Bridges, Jeff Hemphill and Tom Hammond voted aye, and Aaron Albaugh voted nay.
Albaugh said he had two reasons for voting no.
“It kind of seems like we’re beating a dead horse,” he said. “It’s going to cost the county another $10,000 or $12,000 to determine what I think is already a no. And on the other side of things, what are we telling our kids if we promote this. We’re promoting a drug culture telling our kids marijuana is fine, and we can sell our soul for five or 10 bucks. I don’t think that’s something as leaders we should be telling our kids.”
Lassen News reached out to Chris Gallagher, board chair, for comment, but he did not return our call by deadline.