Cannabis cultivation in Calaveras County Made Illegal Despite Fees Paid
California cannabis cultivators have been racing to get their farms up to code for recreational cannabis. The growers in Calaveras County have paid a net amount of $3.7 million in permit fees in an attempt to join into the new legal industry. These collections and the fact that cannabis business is about 20% of the county economy still did not convince some county board members. News reports in November told tales of a rigorous debate on the matter in the central California county. Recently in a very unpopular decision, the Calaveras County Board officially banned cannabis cultivation and commerce.
This has inspired individual legislative action by a gaggle of local growers nestled against the Stanislaus forest according to the Union Democrat. Two registered cannabis growers in Calaveras County have filed a class action claim against Calaveras County and the county tax-collector-treasurer in an attempt to recoup refunds on paid Measure C cannabis taxes. The group, represented by Oakland attorney William Panzer, is supported by the local chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Cannabis Laws (NORML).
With lawsuits already on the way, the board is now speaking about putting the matter to a vote on the June ballot. The ban will officially go into effect February 9, 2018. Those who are operating under impending application status have until that date to comply with the ban or suffer possible search and seizure by the local Marijuana Enforcement Team. The day the ban went into effect the team served unregistered indoor grow operation with the law a search warrant. They seized almost 1500 plants and booked the couple who owned the house for criminal conspiracy, illegal marijuana cultivation, and operating a drug house at the county jail.
