FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 14, 2014
Contact: Ellen Komp, Deputy Director CaNORML 415-563-5858
Statewide Reform Group Endorses “No on A” in Shasta County
California NORML, the state chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, has endorsed the No on Measure A campaign in Shasta county.
Cal NORML deputy director Ellen Komp, who has been tracking local ordinances across the state, has seen a trend towards cultivation bans. “Everyone agrees the problem lies in large grows that are already noncompliant with state and local zoning laws,” Komp said. “Passing a blanket ban only hurts the people that Prop. 215 was passed to protect: the seriously ill who need to grow their own medicine because they can’t access a dispensary, or afford their prices.”
After the Shasta board of supervisors passed a ban on outdoor cultivation in the county on January 29, citizens of Shasta banded together and launched a campaign that gathered enough signatures to put the matter to a vote. The restrictive ordinance will appear as Measure A on the November ballot. Read more.
Federal interference and a lack of leadership at the state and local levels has kept collective medical marijuana grows, legal under state law, unregulated and underground. Looking towards 2016 when, following Washington and Colorado, California expects to see a full adult legalization measure on the ballot, Komp said, “We would rather see legalization happen in a way that builds community in rural areas, rather than the ‘warehouse weed’ models benefitting only a few that are being advanced in other states. Legitimate marijuana farmers are good neighbors and stewards of the land and water. Cartels aren’t.”
Butte, Nevada and Lake counties also have medical marijuana cultivation measures on their November ballot. Cal NORML endorses No on A, Yes on B in Butte County; Yes on O in Lake County; and Yes on S in Nevada County. Read more.
California NORML is a non-profit, membership organization dedicated to reforming California’s marijuana laws. Founded in 1972, its mission is to establish the right of adults to use cannabis legally. See www.CaNORML.org
