4 NEWS
SANTA ANA COLLEGE el Don/eldonnews.org • MONDAY, MARCH 13, 2017
PROPOSITION 64
ROLLING OUT
O.C. POT PLAN
USERS CAN LEGALLY CONSUME MARIJUANA
RECREATIONALLY BUT STILL CAN’T PURCHASE
PHOTOS AND STORY BY NIKKI NELSEN / el Don
SMOKE OUT / The state will release its full regulations and permitting policies regarding recre-
ational marijuana on Jan. 1, 2018. Cities and counties are readying their own laws in preparation.
Voters may have passed Proposition
64 in November by wide margins,
but Californians can’t buy their
recreational pot just yet.
Proposition 64 gives those 21
and older the legal right to possess,
consume and cultivate the plant,
but it does not outline a plan for
how people can legally purchase
it, leaving users in a gray area until
decisions are made.
Santa Ana is leading the county in
updating its current marijuana laws
to prepare for Jan. 1, 2018, when the
state will release its full regulations
and permitting policies.
City Council passed an ordinance in
January that banned the outdoor and
commercial cultivation of marijuana
within city limits.
“Staff is currently doing prep work
in order to help facilitate the city
council and provide options for them
to consider but no [other] decision
has been made at this point in time,”
Santa Ana City Manager Robert
Cortez said.
With the passage of Measure BB in
November 2014, Santa Ana became
the first Orange County city to
regulate medical marijuana dispensa-
ries. Twenty dispensary licenses were
issued for 2016.
According to Prop 64, medical mar-
ijuana dispensaries may be allowed
to apply for recreational sales if they
so choose.
The law now allows for the culti-
vation of up to six plants at a private
residence. Cortez said the city wants
to ensure there are certain require-
ments met for those who want to
grow at home, including compliance
with fire codes and not having plants
be visible from the street.
“There could be some potential
issues that arise, some nuisance calls
that may come from neighbors com-
plaining to our police department
or potentially our code enforcement,”
said Cortez. “There may be an uptick.
There may not be. It’s still kind of a
wait and see at this point in time.”
Other legislators have been scram-
bling to craft proper regulations for
the cultivation, sale and purchase of
the drug within their jurisdictions.
California officials say they are
unhindered by the Trump adminis-
tration’s threat to enforce the federal
marijuana ban in states that allow
recreational use.
“We really haven’t seen any for-
mal plan of action from the federal
government, so in the meantime we’re
going to keep doing the work we’ve
been tasked with,” said Alex Traverso,
chief of communications for the Bu-
reau of Medical Cannabis Regulation,
which is responsible for formulating
the rules under which marijuana re-
tailers, distributors, micro businesses
and testing labs operate.
“We have an aggressive timeline
and we can’t afford to keep our eye off
the ball.”
The Orange County Board of Su-
pervisors formed a committee earlier
this year to help advise on possible
policies for regulating and policing
marijuana cultivation and sales on
unincorporated land.
At a January meeting, some board
members suggested not making any
decisions until the federal govern-
See DRUG Page 5