Page 9 - Sonoma County Gazette November 2018

CANNABIS cont’d from page 10
I don’t think we are there yet with this as an issue. With not a single cannabis CUP issued, we can’t really say if over concentration is even an issue. Not all operators operating now will get their Use Permit. Additionally under 50 acres of total cannabis cultivation area has been applied for in Sonoma County. This is compared with over 60,000 acres of grapes. In just over a year 43 applicants have withdrawn. Only 146 applications are active for processing in the entire county. Things are not moving quickly and they are not easy.
On Tuesday October 16 the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors voted
on updates to the cannabis ordinance. These included a 10-acre minimum, five-year permits, additional propagation space and more. I expect to see the county begin to move more quickly on processing cannabis permits after this vote.
What happens after an operator gets their Conditional-Use
Permit?
Once the conditions of the permit are received, operators must meet these conditions at all times. Additionally, the operator then needs to apply for a State Cultivation License from the CA Dept of Food & Agriculture.
What is the process and requirements for a State Cultivation
License?
The following items are required for an Annual State Cultivation License: Surety Bond, Legal Right to Occupy, Cultivation Plan, Premise Diagram, Property Diagram, Waste Management Plan, Enrollment to Regional Water Quality Control Board or State Water Resources Control Board, CA Dept Fish & Wildlife 1602 Waiver or Approval, Hazardous Materials Plan, CEQA Compliance, Complete List of Financial Interest Holders, Lighting Diagram, Pest Management Plan, List of Members / Owners, Business Documents, Source of Water Supply, Well Log, and fee. The Bureau of Cannabis Control, CA Dept of Food and Ag, and the CA Dept of Public Health have regular site visits and compliance reviews for all operators.
What about over concentration?
What happened on October 16, 2018?
How much does a State Cultivation License cost?
Costs of Small State Cultivation Licenses (under 10,000sf): Small Indoor - $35,410/yr
Small Greenhouse - $20,235/yr
Small Outdoor - $4,820/yr
What happens now?
On October 19, 2018, California’s three cannabis regulatory agencies: the Bureau of Cannabis Control, the Department of Food & Agriculture, and
the Department of Public Health, released modifications to the proposed permanent regulations for California’s cannabis industry. These are the fourth or fifth set of rules for the cannabis industry in the last couple of years and could change once more before the end of the year. Things are continuously a moving target for cannabis operators, who must be strong and patient.
The permitting process here is long. It’s costly. It’s stressful. It’s not always worth it in the end. Cannabis businesses are not all profitable right now. Times are tough. We need community support now more than ever to encourage safe, successful cannabis businesses in our county.
*All permit stats are sourced from the County’s BOS Power Point Presentation on 10/16/18.
BioDynamic Cannnabis farming practices - photo courtesy of SolFul, Sebastopol
11/18 - www.sonomacountygazette.com - 9