Merced City Council voted that medical marijuana card holders will not be permitted to grow cannabis plants for their own consumption. The council figured out what dispensaries and cultivation must be allowed in the city.
According to The Fresno Bee, the council passed the ordinance with a unanimous vote of 6-0, making the city keep its view on marijuana cultivation and sales. At the time of voting, Councilman Noah Lor was absent.
This proposed ban of the city attracted national attention as two self-proclaimed 'nuns' have exerted efforts in fighting the ban. 'The Sisters of the Valley' create healing substances from cannabis, which do not contain marijuana's psychoactive component called THC. Sun Times Network further said that the nuns believe it as a spiritual quest to make these healing substances.
"We want a license, we are willing to write a check... we're not even in the THC business," Sister Kate said.
The sisters belong to a group of residents who were pushing the city in regulating medical cannabis instead of banning it. This includes Ryan Bartley who said that marijuana has been able to help his itching condition. Christopher Gonzales also added that his 65-year-old mother-in-law who has sundown syndrome and Alzheimer's disease benefited from regularly using, Merced Sun Star reported.
However, despite a lot of people fighting against the ban, there were still some who opposed the cultivation of medical marijuana. One woman shared how she worries about home invasions as she claims her neighbor growing cannabis behind her home.
Whatever the people think of the council's decision, the city assured that it was not about criminal activity, legalization or putting people out of business. For the meantime, the council members placed the ban, which will be adopted at the end of the month, as they needed more time to create the right policy.
