Page 6 - Sonoma County Gazette December 2017

Cannabis Advisory Board Meeting
OPINION: Homeless People
By Gail M. Adams
This is a personal account of the Cannabis Advisory Board Meeting held
By Robert Sterler
Homeless people are a problem that is not going away. In fact the ranks of
at the Permit Resource Management Department (PRMD) in Santa Rosa on Wednesday 9/27/17. I was delayed in writing this because of the fire, but I believe my personal perspective is of value to readers.
homeless are ever increasing at a steady pace. The solutions that have been tried in this county are marginal at best. What about in other parts of the country? Programs exist in every part of the USA, some solutions work better than others.
There was a diverse group of people with personal, community, health and environment concerns around growing Cannabis. We sat quietly for 1 1⁄2 hours, listening to the committee discuss the process of getting the legal cannabis industry up and running in Sonoma County by January, 2018.
I propose a di erent approach to solving the homeless crisis. We obtain a large piece of land (500 acres) in a remote part of the county. On this isolated land we build a community from the ground up. We build a community in which we construct – everything. We build our own shelters – grow and produce our own food – build our own furniture – clothes – schools – entertainment – art – music – theater – hunt wild animals when permitted – x and build our own machinery – produce our own electricity. In other words – teach everyone to do everything. We want a community that strives to be independent and self-su cient. We would not be detached from the world, but somewhat separated.
Someone talked about permits and applications, code enforcement, and
the penalty relief program. As of this writing, 119 applications have been filed. This seems like a very small number in comparison to the thousands of marijuana growers in the county. Is this any indication of the size of the Black market to come?
Complaints have increased against growers. There are 350 complaints. Several illegal operations were shut down. The Code Enforcement hot line umber is 707-565-1922. Complaints can be left anonymously.
The facility needs to be remote for a number of reasons. Remoteness has the e ect of coming into con ict with the least number of people and institutions. Do you want to live next door to a homeless shelter? Additionally, in order to inforce strict rules we need to be physically away from corrupting in uences. Remoteness has the characteristic of promoting independence. Without the stimulation and corrupting in uence of society people feel alone individually. This is important for building cohesiveness and solidarity in the group. The military uses this concept quite e ectively in boot camp. In a very real sense this is a type of boot camp.
Through the Penalty Relief Program, Illegal growers have the opportunity to work toward legal status. All requirements and regulations must be met by January 1, 2018. Outdoor growing sites have been limited to agricultural areas.
More outreach was suggested through the use of workshops. The October meeting focused on the creation of sub-groups.
The public had 3 opportunities to comment during the meeting, but no dialogue was permitted between the committee and the public (Robert’s Rules of Meetings?). The lines were clearly drawn between committee seated at the tables in the front and the public placed at the back of the room...two separate cultures with two separate agendas. Board members did state that they could have discussions and answer questions outside after the meeting.
Teaching people to build is a powerful methodology. Building your own house is transformative in many ways. On a practical level – building a shelter is desirable because no one wants to sleep in the rain and cold. The psychological revelation is that the homeless individual can reshape their own real world.
Voiced Concerns:
We have an opportunity to transform the homeless from some of the worst of society – to some of the best. The purpose of this community is to produce people who think of themselves as self-su cient. We want to transform the people
who inhabit this community and liberate them from thinking insu ciently of themselves.
- Destruction of the natural and peaceful quality of neighborhoods - The impact on neighborhood wells
- The fear of parents for their children
- Safety
We take the approach of pragmatism – we do what works. If something we try does not function properly – we make modi cations until we nd something that does work. One thing that does not work in relation to homeless is giving resources away without really asking for something signi cant in return. This is not a theoretical issue – it has been shown repeatedly in this county and across the country to be so. Housing a homeless person does not really change the mindset of this person. The publically sheltered person still has substantial low self-esteem. This person does not see himself as empowered or independent. Actually quite the opposite – they have achieved a type of con – big brother has taken control of their lives – and – now they don’t have to. They have convinced government and/or charities to take care of them – why should they change their lives – they are rewarded for being a bum. I say it is a disservice to the individual. They are now crippled and unmotivated to change this “receiving” mindset.
- Restricted outdoor play for children because of vicious dogs being used to protect grows
- Barking dogs and guard dogs
- The right to be notified before a grower moves next door
- The frustration of two organic growers who are in compliance with new
regulations, but are not allowed to increase the size of their crop
- Anger of an organic farmer who uses good practices and exhibits respectful
behavior and yet she is impacted by bad behavior and disrespectful attitude
of some growers,
- The destruction of health and quality of life by pesticides and chemical
fertilizers used in a residential neighborhood.
The growing of cannabis is a complicated issue made more complicated
by ignoring public concerns. The marijuana industry is a 4 to 7 billion dollar business – large enough to warrant a comprehensive approach to policies that balance the concerns of the public with that of the industry. Legal or illegals, the impacts are significant. It is time to remove the blinders and focus full scope on the enterprise.
We now have in Sonoma County, after the res, a much more substantial problem with homelessness. How many working poor are without homes and resources now? I don’t know, but I bet the number is in the thousands. This same model could be used on a much smaller piece of land (say 30 acres) close in to civilization. We would already have power, water, internet, etcetera. We could build many 20 foot diameter Monolithic Domes very inexpensively and fast. The Monolithic Dome is re, wind and earthquake proof – and last for hundreds of years. Additionally Monolithic Domes are esthetically pleasing both inside and out.
At one point a PRMD board member acknowledged that they were not talking about the “Elephant in the Room”...the illegal Black market. The other elephant they were not discussing was public impact.
The Black Market and Public Impacts must be added to the agenda of this advisory board. Solutions must be found and all possible safeguards put into place or this industry will destroy the environment and stampede the population.
We all have a responsibility to think about our neighbors. “There but for the grace of God go I” – comes to mind. We must act fast – either publically or privately and/or both. I say stand up and be counted.
No Pot on Purvine - When the Collings Property at 334 Purvine Rd. was sold in June of 2017, neighbors were shocked when, two months later, they received a letter from Sonoma County’s Permit & Resource Management Department informing them that the new property owner had submitted an application to create an industrial-scale medical cannabis farm for over 30,000 square feet of indoor/outdoor cannabis plants. Petaluma Hills
Farm, LLC. will set precedent for industrial cannabis in the Middle Two Rock Area--unless they are stopped. If you woyuld like to join us on our mission to protect natural resources in our area and promote ethical use of this land, please visit www.NoPotOnPurvine.com - or visit our Facebook page. Contact: nopotonpurvine@gmail.com
6 - www.sonomacountygazette.com - 12/17