Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Cannabis Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Supervisors ask staff to study limited changes to cannabis rules: indoor cultivation, netting and watershed reopening
Summary
After public testimony from growers and residents, the board directed staff to pursue performance standards for monofilament netting, consider allowing indoor cultivation in newer permitted buildings with renewable power, and investigate whether impacted watersheds could be reopened for limited expansion.
The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors on Jan. 6 directed planning staff to return with analyses and potential ordinance changes addressing three cannabis-related requests: limited hemp cultivation, indoor cultivation in buildings permitted after 2016, and performance standards for monofilament netting.
Planning Director John Ford summarized the requests. He recommended against immediately lifting the county moratorium on hemp because enforcement and testing to distinguish hemp from high-THC cannabis would require additional Ag Commissioner and law-enforcement resources. He did, however, recommend the county pursue performance standards for monofilament netting—commonly used to support plants—to reduce wildlife-entanglement problems and to consider rules allowing indoor cultivation in buildings constructed after 2016 if powered by renewable energy.
Growers and the Humboldt County Growers Alliance urged a cautious pilot on hemp limited to permitted cannabis farmers and modest footprints (the petitioner proposed up to 5,000 square feet) in good standing, arguing federal and state legal changes this year may make hemp a viable, federally legal market for small farmers. "This is really about opportunity and the ability to start looking at this from a federal legal standpoint," a HCGA representative said.
Speakers from farms, and several supervisors, asked staff to examine watershed data and monitoring and whether some impacted watersheds could accommodate modest expansions now that the number of cultivation sites has declined considerably since the 2010s. Planning staff said they would report back with baseline numbers, monitoring options and a recommended path for any reopening, coordinated with state agencies.
On monofilament netting, the planning director and several cultivators said the material is industry-standard for supporting plants and that the county could address risks through performance standards and disposal requirements instead of blanket bans.
Board action: The board accepted staff recommendations and directed staff to investigate reopening impacted watersheds where appropriate, to develop performance standards for monofilament netting, and to return with ordinance amendments or reports. Members also asked staff to monitor federal and state policy developments around hemp and to coordinate with the Agricultural Commissioner and Sheriff on enforcement and testing needs.
Next steps: Planning staff will prepare reports and draft ordinance language for board consideration, including watershed monitoring findings and proposals for netting performance standards and indoor-cultivation criteria tied to renewable energy use.
