California Wrap: State, Lodi, San Joaquin County, Moorpark, Napa Valley, Santa Barbara County

STATE

Title: California proposal would make it a ‘sanctuary state’ for marijuana

Author: Sacramento Bee

Date: 5 January 2018

URL: http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article193289989.html

Extract:  California is putting up a united front against U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his federal directive targeting legal weed, with one state lawmaker reviving a proposal this year that would make California a so-called “sanctuary state” for marijuana.

Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer, D-Los Angeles, said Sessions’ decision Thursday to allow federal prosecutors to crack down on marijuana growers and sellers, just as California’s recreational use law took effect, prompts the need for protection from what he called the “outdated federal war on drugs.”

“The impacts of this ill-conceived and poorly executed war are still being felt by communities of color across the state,” Jones-Sawyer said in a statement. “The last time California supported the federal government’s efforts, families were torn apart and critical state resources were used to incarcerate more black and brown people than ever before in the history of our state.”

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article193289989.html#storylink=cpy

LODI  SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY

Title:  What does legalized marijuana mean for Lodi, San Joaquin County?

Author: Lodi News Sentinel

Date: 5 January 2018

URL: http://www.lodinews.com/news/article_6e96e814-f1eb-11e7-8874-8f018c39d46e.html

Extract:  Sgt. Kevin Kent of the Lodi Police Department offered some insight into the city’s regulations, while District Attorney Tori Verber-Salazar and Deputy District Attorney Todd Turner addressed it from San Joaquin County’s perspective.

The Lodi City Council voted on Oct. 18, 2016, to ban all medical and commercial marijuana activity within the city limits, including cultivation, processing, sale and delivery. In accordance with state law, adults are allowed to possess up to one ounce of marijuana for personal use. Some aspects of Lodi’s city code may need to change to align with state regulations, Kent said, but much of the code will most likely remain the same.

“I’m sure, as with every law that changes, that there’s an education process that needs to be in place so that people can understand the law. As I understand it, nowhere in the City of Lodi is permitted to sell marijuana. I know there are places in the county that are permitted to sell it, but I don’t know where those are,” Kent said.

MOORPARK

Title: What are the new pot laws in Moorpark?

Author: Moor Park Acorn

Date: 4 January 2018

URL: https://www.mpacorn.com/articles/what-are-the-new-pot-laws-in-moorpark/

Extract:  In January 2017, the City Council enacted laws that ban recreational marijuana sales in the city due to concerns about the conflicts between state and federal laws.

No commercial cultivation, sales or warehousing of marijuana is allowed in Moorpark, community development director David Bobardt said.

“That being said, state law requires (the city) to allow someone to be able to grow at least six plants per house inside, and that’s what our laws allow for without a permit,” Bobardt said.

People with prescriptions for medical marijuana can have the drug delivered to their homes, but recreational delivery remains illegal. Residents are allowed, however, to buy pot in other California cities and bring it home.

Most dispensaries in the state are slated to open in major metropolitan areas, including Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley.

 

NAPA VALLEY

Title: Napa County law enforcement wary of impacts of recreational marijuana

Author: Napa Valley Register

Date: 6 January 2018

URL: http://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/napa-county-law-enforcement-wary-of-impacts-of-recreational-marijuana/article_e94b5337-64df-5873-8b36-d47a0a5e3baf.html

Extract: Although there is some immediate training officers will have to go through, he said, it’s mostly to get updated on the code changes. Otherwise, officers have already been trained on how to tell if someone is driving under the influence, whether it’s under the influence of alcohol, marijuana or another drug doesn’t necessarily change the process.

“Impairment is going to be impairment,” Jenny said. Field Sobriety Tests (FSTs) show impairment regardless of what someone is under the influence of.

The only difference, he said, is that there isn’t a clear indicator of how high someone is compared with how drunk someone is.

Someone suspected of drunk driving will take a breathalyzer test and if their blood alcohol content tests as .08 percent or higher, then they are driving under the influence. There is no equivalent yet for marijuana.

“There is no easy answer,” says American Canyon Police Chief Oscar Ortiz. “There’s nothing forensic to say they’re impaired.”

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY

Title: Santa Barbara County officials to tackle cannabis regulations, taxation this week

Author: Lompoc Record

Date: 7 January 2018

URL: http://lompocrecord.com/news/local/santa-barbara-county-officials-to-tackle-cannabis-regulations-taxation-this/article_3e0b6d0a-511c-5dc2-9953-cec417237dd1.html

Extract: The cannabis industry will take center stage in Santa Barbara County next week when the Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission discuss taxes and land-use regulations.

Supervisors are scheduled to consider taxes on cannabis operations, while planning commissioners will review amendments to land-use regulations and zoning ordinances recommended by the ad hoc subcommittee on cannabis.

 

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