Lancaster California Allows for some Medical Cannabis Cultivation Facilities.

Back in February of 2016, The city of Lancaster generally prohibits the operation of Medical Marijuana dispensaries. The Lancaster Municipal Code now allows medical cannabis to be cultivated only in secured, enclosed, and ventilated structures. The city enforces the cultivation not be visible in order to prevent negative impacts and health and safety measures. The cultivation is solely for medical purposes and it prohibits recreational dispensaries. This change in the ordinance went into effect January of 2017. Each category requires a separate license. The prospective licensee must apply with the purpose and intent to only cultivate marijuana for medical purposes. A cannabis cultivation facility means plants are propagated, grown, harvested, dried, cured, tagged and labeled for tracking. A dispensary license is for procurement, sale, and transport. A cannabis facility is for production of the cannabis for concentrate indirectly or by extraction methods by the means of chemical synthesis or combination of. Licensees can lose their license if they violate any or numerous laws and regulations that are in effect in Lancaster via this changed ordinance. Regarding land and agricultural cultivation: The legal parcel means a parcel of land with legal title. Multiple contiguous parcels can be counted as a single parcel for the purpose of cultivation. Each prospect will have to undergo a conditional use permit and process. The grower will have to supply an environmental report in accordance with local and state laws. This may include a description of source of power, verification, and water source. There are a number of barriers a licensee will need to cross, but once all are met it green go. Some of these barriers may include background check for criminal records, video surveillance, floor plans, general description of the product and service, third parties involvement. Of these video surveillance, back up and alarm systems, illumination in evening hours all seem to be very important to the city. The location must also operate as a business with prohibition of consumption on the premises and standard business practices like disability access, public toilets adequate insurance, posted signs, list of employee names, age, date of birth, residential addresses and phone numbers, odor filtration systems and many more regulations. So in order to get in the medical or recreational marijuana business will take time and can be costly.

Is Marijuana Saving Adelanto?

Adelanto is in San Bernardino County just outside of Victorville, Ca. It has lost the Georgia Air Force Base in 92 and has not seen good times since. Recently the down was $2.6 million in the hole and they have elected to become a marijuana cultivation zone which is put them in the in the black or should we say green. The population according to the census is 33,000 with 1% in prison. It has been known as a prison city since it has a privately run detention facility as big employer. The city was founded about a 100 years ago by the inventor of the toaster and iron. The current population is about 50% Hispanic and 30% African-American, but almost half live below the poverty line. Around its 100 anniversary it joined Desert Hot Springs in allowing medical marijuana on an industrial scale. Land prices in the cultivation zone have sky rocketed 1000% from $300k to $3 million for parcels in the allowed area. The city has licensed 40 new facilities and it now rests its hopes on a weed. Currently eight states have legalized recreational marijuana and twenty nine approve medical use. Adelanto and other struggling cities in California are banking on a new “green wave”, which is a Federal crime. We will see if this sticks long term. Industrial hemp may have been a better first start as it is clearly a more green for the environment, while marijuana is a smoking drug with many issues that surround it.