For the first time in history, the cultivation of medical marijuana is considered to be allowed and regulated within city limits. A new state law is prompting San Diego about this and may permit its full operation months from now.
According to Los Angeles Times, Deputy City Atty. Shannon Thomas issued a memo last week describing methods that the city can regulate marijuana cultivation. This includes making zoning regulations that specify the drug or the simple permission of growing marijuana in all areas that are considered as agricultural zones.
Imposing a temporary moratorium on cultivation is also what the memo says, while any new regulations are being explored. Mayor Kevin Faulconer, together with the City Council, already received a copy of this memo.
Thomas stated that San Diego would benefit from the moratorium as it can help ensure that the new state laws do not remove the city's autonomy permanently in regulating local cultivation. As San Diego Union-Tribune reported, it would be best to grant that authority to the state instead.
Meanwhile, the laboratory that might house in a sea of green plants in three months has already been granted a building permit. This is no other than OutCo Laboratory that finally survived the last hurdle in a 2-year process as they got their permit two weeks ago. This 15,000 sq. foot building's laboratories are located in El Cajon's industrial area, behind Gillespie Field. With the looks of it, it is way beyond cultivation ready, Fox 5 San Diego stated.
"In a collective, you can grow on behalf of the members. We are approximately 7000 members," OutCo Labs CEO Lincoln Fish said.
Advocates of medical marijuana welcomed this idea of approved cultivation as a huge step forward, both for growers and patients. For the former, it would help them lift the feeling of being secretive. On the latter's part, it is a way for them to know where their marijuana is coming from and to test its quality.
However, opponents spoke that this step may just go in the wrong direction for San Diego. In 2014, it became the only city to legalize the selling of medical marijuana to patients.
Looking at it, there are already different opinions regarding the issue. Nothing is certain as of the moment but the state looking into the benefits of marijuana.
