REVERSE IT

Historic train station & light rail tracks, Campbell, California

The city of Campbell will consider a proposal on January 12, 2017. If passed it could permit the delivery, sale and cultivation of medical cannabis within city limits. On the agenda for the January meeting, the city outlines to either disapprove or adopt the “Ordinance Amending Chapter 8.38 of the Campbell Municipal Code to Allow Delivery of Medical Marijuana.”

The city clerk gave the council a report on December 6 which outlined the details of Keep Campbell Green’s plan to amend the city’s municipal code to allow medical cannabis operations. At that meeting, the city council voted that they first needed a report about how medical cannabis would impact the residents and the city of Campbell.

Back in March, Campbell city council enacted a ban on medical cannabis businesses. Since then, the cultivation, sale and delivery of cannabis has been illegal. Keep Campbell Green is a group that formed with the intention of creating a ballot initiative that would reverse the ban in certain areas of the city.

The initiative was initially intended to appear on the November 8 ballot, however the city clerk turned it down because there were issues with the text of the initiative’s petition documents. The group did not let this deter its plan, and Keep Campbell Green collected more signatures and has proposed the new ordinance to either be adopted by city council or to appear during a special election in 2017.

“The ordinance generally prohibits commercial cannabis activity on a property that has entrances or exits that abut any residentially zoned land, or shares a corner with residentially zoned land, or is directly across the street from residentially zoned property by a street that is at least 80 feet in width.”

The report will be given to the council no later than January 6, 2017. The council will be given 10 days to either adopt the initiative or call for a special election. During the December 6 meeting, Councilmember Paul Resnikoff said, “We obviously want as much time as we can get to prepare for a special election.”

If passed, the initiative will permit medical cannabis collectives in specified zones, and it would also allow for the delivery of medical cannabis. Both indoor and outdoor cultivation of medical cannabis would also be permitted in the city, given that patients are allowed 100 square feet for cultivation and caregivers are allowed 500 square feet.

The ordinance will also require testing at laboratories for concentration and impurities, according to the Keep Campbell Green website, in addition to other important regulations like zoning and licensing. “The ordinance generally prohibits commercial cannabis activity on a property that has entrances or exits that abut any residentially zoned land, or shares a corner with residentially zoned land, or is directly across the street from residentially zoned property by a street that is at least 80 feet in width.” The ordinance also outlines penalties for businesses that operate without obtaining a license.

If city officials don’t adopt the initiative as is, it will prove to be an expensive decision. The special election could cost the city up to $429,702, according to a staff report. If there are competing measures on the ballot, it could cost up to $71,200 more.