The first thing you need to know about NCARCC is this:
We are not arguing whether marijuana is medicine or a recreational
drug. NCARCC is not trying to deny someone the right to medically
beneficial therapies. While cannabis cultivation is still against
Federal law, California has voted to make medical cannabis permissible.
Unfortunately, the legislation in place is vague, and lacks reasonable
restrictions pertaining to cannabis cultivation amounts and locations.
The loose language and gaping holes in these laws hamper law enforcement's
ability to restrict cannabis cultivation effectively.
Recently, a lot in a residential neighborhood with a school just
.4 miles away was purchased, and cannabis plants were brought in.
The site was dotted with signs threatening neighbors, and trash
litters the site. Trees were cut down, leaving ugly stumps sticking
several feet into the air. All of this is taking place right around
the corner from an elementary school.
This isn't an isolated incident. Cannabis cultivation lots are
routinely targets for theft, and the people who are cultivating
the cannabis want to protect their plants. The news is full of shootings
over cannbis theft.
This is the face of cannabis cultivation. It's not a cancer patient
fighting the effects of chemotherapy, or a person trying to relieve
glaucoma. Read the paper, or watch the news, and you'll see drug
dealers exploiting gaps in current cannabis code and legislation
to cultivate a lucrative crop that lines their pockets and does
nothing positive for the economy of California.
We want to keep our Nevada County neighborhoods safe, inviting,
and scenic. Residential cannabis cultivation invites crime into
a neighborhood, putting our lives, posessions, family members, and
property values at risk.