Cannabis Next Steps
The Santa Barbara Grand Jury just simplified the Board of Supervisors’ task. What the board couldn’t/wouldn’t bring themselves to approve was laid out:
• all cannabis permits be subject to a Conditional Use Permit
• growers operating under legal non-conforming status should prove the validity pursuant to their affidavits or be shut down
• the cannabis tax should be based on square footage, versus gross receipts, in line with other counties’ practices
• cannabis operations should be suspended until the Planning Commission accepts proof of odor control at grow operation boundaries
• the board should establish an independent Ethics Commission with oversight over the supervisors and their staff
• supervisors should recuse themselves if they accept donations from donors with matters pending a decision before them or return such funds.
Why couldn’t Board of Supervisors see what any objective person could see regarding reasonable regulations? Why were they so pliable in complying to the ‘requests’ of the cannabis industry and lobbyists?
