Is Medical Marijuana Regulation Deal Hammered Out Late Thursday a Victory or a Bummer for Growers?

“[The] Golden Tarp just became a victory party!” enthused Luke Bruner of California Cannabis Voice Humboldt tonight by text. The occasion was a deal hammered out late Thursday between lawmakers. Three competing bills to regulate medical marijuana were adjusted to work together and the three passed through a necessary hoop just before Friday’s deadline. (All the bills still need to need to get approval from the legislature as a whole before being signed by the governor.)

The idea is that a vast overarching system will be in place to regulate medical marijuana which will be classified as an agricultural product. A Bureau of Medical Marijuana Regulation will be formed to oversee the new rules.

It remains to be seen whether the growers at Saturday’s Golden Tarp Awards in Garberville are as excited about the new bills and BMMR (the Bureau of Medical Marijuana Regulation) as Bruner thinks they will be.

Already John Myers of KQED pointed out that the acronym is somewhat unfortunate.

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[…] Is Medical Marijuana Regulation Deal Hammered Out Late … […]

shoelessSean
Guest
shoelessSean
8 years ago

Free people dont need bureaus or any other figures to tell them how free they are

Dav
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Dav
8 years ago
Reply to  shoelessSean

Spot on.

Zoltan
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Zoltan
8 years ago
Reply to  shoelessSean

Kropotkin

Scooter
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Scooter
8 years ago

So if i want to plant grapes or berries no one gives a damn. But if i want to plant some herb i need to call BUMMR. Give me a break.

t
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t
8 years ago
Reply to  Scooter

109. (a) A qualified patient who cultivates, possesses, stores, manufactures, or transports cannabis
exclusively for his or her personal medical use but who does not provide, donate, sell, or distribute
cannabis to any other person or entity is not, thereby, engaged in commercial cannabis activity and
is, therefore, exempt from the licensure requirements of this part.
(b) A primary caregiver who cultivates, possesses, stores, manufactures, transports, donates, or
provides cannabis exclusively for the personal medical purposes of no more than five specified
qualified patients for whom he or she is the primary caregiver within the meaning of Section
11362.7 of the Health and Safety Code, but who does not receive remuneration for these activities
except for compensation in full compliance with subdivision (c) of Section 11362.765 of the Health
and Safety Code is not engaged in commercial cannabis activity and is, therefore, exempt from the
licensure requirements of this part.

So basically you can have your “6” or whatever.. And you can grow for 5 people collectively. They can’t get rid of 215, this is proof

Just Asking
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Just Asking
8 years ago
Reply to  t

Yeah, but what’s the definition of “primary caregiver” under that statute you cited?

Patrick
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Patrick
8 years ago

Grow food/medicine not lawns!

Zoltan
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Zoltan
8 years ago
Reply to  Patrick

Cultivate plankton fed mined plankton to compensate for our co2 production. Drug and save. Same time same place.

Matthew Meyer
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Matthew Meyer
8 years ago

“Local control” has been the sacred cow that proponents of these bills don’t want to sacrifice, nor to talk too much about. While they’re wrangling to take credit for this achievement, media coverage ignores the fact that much of California’s best land for growing cannabis lies within Ban Wagon counties. How many of California’s estimated 50k cannabis farmers will be unable to obtain a license because they live in a locality that won’t permit it? Law enforcement has supported these proposals partly because they eliminate legal protections for collective and cooperative cultivation projects; after the licenses start to issue, unlicensed collectives will be fair game for criminal prosecution once more. We can look forward to years more of cops-and-robbers in the Ban Wagon counties–most of the Central Valley and Sierra Foothills. Behind the flashbulbs and smiles, this is a big step backward for sensible regulation of cannabis in California.

silverlining
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silverlining
8 years ago

Medical Marijuana has to go thru hoops? Well of course it does, just check out google earth.

Zoltan
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Zoltan
8 years ago
Reply to  silverlining

Poco veneno no mata

Shake
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Shake
8 years ago

I hope the legislators phones are ringing off the hook to oppose the red tape bummer. The medical doctors & patients know what works for them, the growers know how to raise it correctly for them, the dispensaries know how to test each batch before selling. Each county is the official officials.
The taxpaying citizens, including patients, will be forced to pay for the red tape bureau even after the other red tape agencies (water board, EPA,) have ruined the business, closed all farms down except the big organizations like big Pharma, (who undoubtedly will be on the new red tape board one way or another)
Call your legislators now.

Dave Kirby
Guest
Dave Kirby
8 years ago

If marijuana is legalized for recreational use, which seems probable, a lot of this becomes mute. I understand that local growers are trying to carve out a niche in the future marketplace. There is a lot of talk about industrial grows taking over if its legal. I would suggest that that has already happened to some extent. The mega grows run by out of the area folks are everywhere. The real threat to the local scene is the fact that the reason that pot flourished here was because it was remote and law enforcement amounted to a price support program. In the future there is a real possibility that production will migrate to areas where fertile soil will not require truckloads of manufactured dirt and amendments and where spawning streams will not be sucked dry by inappropriate cultivation. Our local watersheds are great for growing trees but not much else. There is always the possibility that indoor will become the method allowed under the new regime which will complicate the picture even more. Under any of these scenarios the black market will still thrive.

Ghostown
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Ghostown
8 years ago
Reply to  Dave Kirby

The black market may thrive but the stakes will be higher for those who are caught. The war on marijuana may be over but the war on growers just got the tools and funds to be effective.

Zoltan
Guest
Zoltan
8 years ago
Reply to  Dave Kirby

90% oxygen from algae10% plants. Flat,unshaded, pond. Consumes much co2. Makes oxygen as waste. Currently algae grown on waste and petrochemical , like organic and other foods from store.

Lost Croat Outburst
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Lost Croat Outburst
8 years ago
Reply to  Dave Kirby

Except for the fact that we still want food, at the best possible price. Even now, when a commodity such as almonds becomes popular, it replaces other crops such as grapes. Hillsides can grow grapes and cannabis where commercial crops of something like potatoes or rice is not feasible. Much of the Emerald Triangle will remain as a cannabis center as Napa Valley has retained its rep as a center of gourmet wines, despite global competition.

Zoltan
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Zoltan
8 years ago

One straw revolution. About rice on hillside. Growed in sewage water to be called organic nowadays.

Zoltan
Guest
Zoltan
8 years ago

Advertising only.

Dave Kirby
Guest
Dave Kirby
8 years ago

L.C. Napa has become famous due to its grape “terroir”. That includes several environmental factors. One of the most important is the soil the vines are grown in. The drainage, mineral content etc. combines with climate and topography to produce a unique product. As the soil here, especially in the hills, is pretty much leached by rainfall it tends to be poor. Thats why it takes the application of a number nutrients to grow anything smokable here. As the climate is not unique to much of California it would not make economic sense to grow here once its legal. Just my hit on the situation.

silverlining
Guest
silverlining
8 years ago

TPZ Zoned land is good for trees. Site classes 4 and up cannot be TPZ as they grow timber too slowly.
Other ranch land was zoned for grazing and orchards. Even if fruit growing here became unprofitable the Etter’s made a name for themselves breeding produce in rural Humboldt
Maybe a secluded research area then?

Zoltan
Guest
Zoltan
8 years ago
Reply to  silverlining

Soil too ácido, imparts no elements to food plant. Causes much. cáncer and díabetes.

Ghostown
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Ghostown
8 years ago

Read the August 26 daft. Not sure what’s changed in the new draft, but if you’are a “pot doc” you’re out of business. If you’ve every been charged with felony cultivation or been fined for cultivation then it’s reason for denial of a commercial permit. You need a permit through the Dept. of Food and Agriculture and the local authority to cultivate commercially.

eurekajim
Guest
eurekajim
8 years ago
Reply to  Ghostown

So they put the “Pot Docs” out of business and a regular doctor can’t prescribe it because it’s still against the law on a Federal basis, there goes Medical Marijuana out the window. I’ve been looking and I still can’t find a copy of this abortion anywhere,
I guess we’ll find out what’s in it after it passes.

Matthew Meyer
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Matthew Meyer
8 years ago
Reply to  Ghostown
t
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t
8 years ago
Reply to  Matthew Meyer

It seems pretty different from previous versions, no? Took me long time to read, crappy cell phone lol

ghostown
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ghostown
8 years ago
Reply to  Matthew Meyer

thank you.

eurekajim
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eurekajim
8 years ago
Reply to  Matthew Meyer

Thanks, it looks pretty complicated and kinda vague about details such as what constitutes small, medium and large. Why do they have to take something fairly simple and turn it into a trainwreck? At least it seems like it will still leave some room for the lil guy, I’d like to know more specifics like how a B&B type of operation would fit into all that legaleze Martian speak, is that still a possibility?

Michael
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Michael
8 years ago
Reply to  eurekajim

I read the whole thing and can’t find what directions will end up being to become a registered patient under the new regs. I didn’t see where it puts any Docs out of business, either. can someone tell me, from this text, and not rumor, what the hoops will be for a patient to be legal after this? County card? Local dispensary card? Doctors prescription? other?

Michael
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Michael
8 years ago
Reply to  Michael

Still looks like any mention of Doctors and prescribing rules have been removed in the current version, and I don’t see any replacement language..

Ghostown
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Ghostown
8 years ago
Reply to  Michael

Looks like they also took out the denial of license due to cultivation convictions or fines.

Jack Straw
Guest
Jack Straw
8 years ago

I’m going with “BUMMER”. That Luke Brenner- a newcomer to our area- is dangerous and insulting. “Celebration Party”?!! Sure, if you already have a cool million to invest in the new game. The few people I know who do- they are very happy to step up and now grow an acre. They know there is nothing making them sell to actual dispensaries and they are free to hit the east coast markets with that weed. I’ve always supported patient’s rights to access. This is not that. This is a green light to the biggest and most well-funded to push everybody else out of the way. My logical prediction- CAMP will be back with a vengeance as they will now be well-funded through the fees. Yes- the largest grows will pay fees that will be used to eradicate their competition. I won’t “celebrate” that, Luke. You’re a tool.

silverlining
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silverlining
8 years ago
Reply to  Jack Straw

Call me cynical and paranoid but I agree.

Zoltan
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Zoltan
8 years ago
Reply to  Jack Straw

They asign our masters, they tax them, let them pray.

Tall Trees
Guest
Tall Trees
8 years ago
Reply to  Jack Straw

I agree. Luke’s role seems like a carpet bagger.

Sad
Guest
Sad
8 years ago

Well it seems all the 25 plant growers will now need 50 plants to pay off all the Government
extortionists.

calside80
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calside80
8 years ago

Im just confused. So what happens if I’m caught with a little herb and no recommendation because there are no more “pot docs”?

ghostown
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ghostown
8 years ago
Reply to  calside80

They took out the disciplinary action against “pot docs” for excessive recommending of cannabis.

Sparklemahn
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Sparklemahn
8 years ago

Circle songs and sands of time, and seasons will end in tumbled rhyme,
and little change, the wind and rain.

FoggyRoad
Guest
FoggyRoad
8 years ago

I agree with jackstraw. I’m sure CCVH and Luke were bummed when their co founders 5,000+ plant grow was eradicated. Wouldn’t want that to happen again

humboldthung
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humboldthung
8 years ago

So what about legalization?

longtermlocal
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longtermlocal
8 years ago

Grow a plant or two at home and screw anyone in it for money – the growers, the middlemen, etc.

Spewydog
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Spewydog
8 years ago
Reply to  longtermlocal

Amen!!