With revisions pending, Riverside County supervisors Tuesday postponed approving a contract with the state that will designate the county Office of the Agricultural Commissioner as the inspecting authority for all commercial cannabis grows countywide.
The 18-month-long agreement with the California Department of Food & Agriculture will be the second compact between the county and state under the CalCannabis Program. The first one ran from May 1 to Nov. 30.
The new agreement, which will be in effect until June 30, 2020, was expected to be ratified without comment, but Board of Supervisors Chairman Kevin Jeffries asked for it to be moved to next Tuesday’s meeting instead.
Jeffries said the agreement needed to incorporate language recognizing that the county has lifted its prior blanket ban on commercial cannabis cultivation in unincorporated communities, joining the cities of Banning, Desert Hot Springs, Jurupa Valley, Moreno Valley, Palm Desert and Perris in issuing permits.
The board in October approved a series of regulations that gradually clear the way for up to 50 marijuana producers, as well as 19 dispensaries, to operate in specified locations in 2019.
Ordinance No. 348 was put on the books in a 3-2 vote after one reading. Along with the state permitting process, the ordinance requires that prospective cannabis growers enter into development agreements with the county, adding an extra layer of vetting.
At the time the ordinance was approved, not all provisions for the agreements were in place. However, county attorneys have since refined them, and according to Jeffries’ chief of staff, Jeff Greene, the proposed terms that will be contained in the agreements are slated to be submitted to the board at the end of this month.
Greene said that the Department of Planning began accepting applications from commercial cannabis manufacturers on Dec. 26. Each development agreement will have to be individually approved by the board.
Under the Medicinal & Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation & Safety Act, all entities seeking to engage in commercial-level cannabis activity are required to procure permits from the CDFA’s CalCannabis Licensing, Compliance & Enforcement Division.
Localities may continue to prohibit commercial grows, as well as storefront and mobile marijuana dispensaries, as they see fit under state law. However, personal cultivation of up to 24 plants for recreational and medical purposes, as defined under voter-approved Proposition 64, cannot be outlawed.
The proposed $14,000 contract with the CDFA calls for Agricultural Commissioner Ruben Arroyo’s staff to conduct on-site compliance inspections that ensure commercial marijuana growers and processors are abiding by rules and regulations under which they were licensed by the state.
Violations will be documented and reported, possibly resulting in penalties.