Mohave Valley Daily News reports…
Last month, the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved an ordinance imposing stiffer fines on illegal marijuana cultivation.
Property owners and growers of up to 200 cannabis plants are now subject to misdemeanor penalties of $1,000, $1,500 and $3,000 for first, second and third convictions.
Those cultivating more than 200 plants are considered a “commercial dispensary” and subject to $3,000, $6,000, and $10,000 fines.
“Illegal marijuana cultivation is a plague on our local communities,” First District Supervisor Paul Cook said. “It threatens public safety, funds organized crime and poisons the environment for years to come.”
Sheriff Shannon Dicus, referring to what he calls “Operation Hammer Strike” said that since January, the department has identified 1,085 pending illegal grows and made 251 arrests throughout the couty.
Local numbers are much lower.
“From January 2020 to August 23, 2021, we have assisted Needles Code Enforcement with three illegal grows … and have had two illegal grows in the unincorporated areas,” said Misti Hunt, public information community resources officer for the sheriff’s department. “All subjects were arrested and cited in the field for HS (California Health and Safety Code) 11358 — Cultivation of Marijuana.”
Hunt said those statistics are “only for the Needles/Colorado River Station and not the entire county.”
The City of Needles does allow for legal commercial marijuana operations.
“City Ordinance No. 629-AC provides a permitting process for the application for a license to grow within city limits,” said Patrick Martinez, director of development for the city.
The ordinance is thorough at 73 pages long, but the fees required are reasonable.
It includes regulation regarding plant maturity and size, testing standards, surveillance and other security requirements, business definition, facility size and specifications, transportation standards, background checks for applicants and workers, a 21-year-old age restriction, and many other details that must be met.
“Penalties under city code or administrative citation enforcement are inadequate to cover the extensive expenses of permitting and enforcement, and also unfair with respect to the extensive licensing requirements for those growers who follow the law,” Martinez said.
For this reason the increases in county fines and penalties are a welcome change, he said.
Read more at https://mohavedailynews.com/news/133953/county-raises-fines-for-illegal-marijuana-production/
