Conditional Cannabis Permits Would Be Best

On June 2, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors will consider Cannabis Ordinance amendments unanimously recommended by the Planning Commission. The principle component of these amendments is to require all permits to be conditional. This will provide the planning department broader ability to constrict projects based on community feedback. This is long overdue, and one would not be faulted for being surprised that the current ordinance does not already allow for such governance.

Prudent governance is the wisdom this ordinance needs. At this stage and in this format, it is fruitless to point fingers or make accusations of motive wondering “how is it we are only now ending up where we ought to have begun?” Past motives and paths to the current cannabis ordinance are behind us, we should look to what is in front of us and seize the opportunity to enhance the county’s ability to reduce what has become obvious agriculture conflict with legacy crops.

The cultivation of cannabis near various legacy crops across California has increasingly revealed incompatibilities due to one grower’s normal and legal standard operating practices impacting another’s. In Santa Barbara County, the problem is exacerbated by the unprecedented grow size permitted. As a result, there is nowhere to look — in the entire world — for understanding of how to solve issues of incapability. Prior to enacting the current ordinance, no grow in the world was over 30 acres. In California, no other county has permitted outdoor grows larger than 2 acres except one: San Luis Obispo County allows 3 acres outdoor on a minimum parcel size of 25 acres. For reference, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors recently voted 3-2 to permit 22-acre and 50-acre grows. Permits are in queue for more, including 70 acres and 147 acres. What has every other county seen that we did not?