Commercial cannabis legal in California yet still banned in Chico
Samuel Monteon held a booth for his new organization Chico Cannabis Club at the Women’s March last Saturday. Photo courtesy of Samuel Monteon
Less than a month ago recreational cannabis became legal in California, however for many counties and cities like Butte and Chico, commercial marijuana restrictions went into effect.
Last November, Chico’s city council voted 4-3 in favor of adopting Ordinance 2505. This ordinance added a “Cannabis Regulations” chapter to the Chico Municipal Code which essentially banned commercial marijuana in the city limits, but allowed for personal indoor marijuana grows.
Deputy Director of the Community Development Department Brendan Vieg said that while Prop 64 legalized cannabis, local city councils around the state decided on how accessible cannabis would be.
“(California) provided a framework where there needs to be access to recreational and medical marijuana. How that’s provided, how open that spigot it is, is determined at the local level,” Vieg said. “(The city of Chico) couldn’t have said that there’s no ability for personal grows, we had to have that allowance but that’s about it.”
Vieg also noted that while there are currently medical marijuana delivery services that deliver into Chico, these delivery services have never been allowed within city limits.
“There were no allowances and therefore no commercial cannabis activity in (Chico, but the city) allowed for personal growing of marijuana outdoors and indoors,” Vieg said. “Our land use development regulations didn’t allow for (commercial cannabis) use.”
Despite these city jurisdictions, there are currently 28 medical marijuana delivery services listed in the Chico area on weedmaps.com. However, these commercial cannabis deliveries are actually forced to be based outside of Butte County.
Due to legal concerns within the city, some delivery services have already closed down. Fire Pharmaceuticals owner Samuel Monteon, recently shut down his collective and started the Chico Cannabis Association to help advocate for safe and reasonable cannabis access.
“There’s never been an explicit ban on cannabis deliveries to (Chico) residents,” Monteon said, “However, cannabis is not listed as a specific land use in the Chico municipal code and that is the argument that the city council is using to say that a ban is implied.”
John Main, owner of a medical marijuana delivery service called NorCal Medicine Man, believes that Chico’s city council is violating the Compassionate Use Act part of Proposition 215 by preventing “safe and affordable” access to medicinal marijuana.
“I honestly could care less if recreational was allowed in Butte County, the thing that is important to me is that we’re able to continue to deliver to all of our members who are medical cannabis patients,” Main said. “(City council members) have no right to stop safe access to our medical patients.”
Chico Mayor Sean Morgan disagreed with Main’s stance and stated in an email that if people have issues with local cannabis bans than they should lobby to change federal cannabis laws.
“I don’t dispute a medical patient saying they get relief from marijuana. What needs to happen is Congress needs to act to change marijuana from a schedule one narcotic to something that is legal and legally prescribable,” Morgan stated. “Medical users upset with the banning of all but in-home grows have a dispute with Congress and that’s who they should lobby.”
Alex Grant can be reached at [email protected] or @AlexThomasGrant on Twitter.
Frank Ramirez // Oct 10, 2018 at 8:53 am
That’s great Sean Morgen wants the law to change it’s schedule 1 to a lesser schedule . We all do, but he must remember that California past a law that says no law enforcement may enforce federal law in California . Although he allows indoor grows in the city of Chico. People that are medical cannot grow in low-income housing so how do they have their safe access ? the city fails to provide it again.
Lee // Aug 6, 2018 at 4:50 pm
The mayor is a fool. He is hiding behind a schedule 1 assosiation with Majajuana we all now that was a move by the fed govt decades ago which was all a political move on Nixons part well look how he ended. It’s time Chico woke up.
Theresa O'Connor // Jan 30, 2018 at 5:24 pm
I think Chico Mayor Sean Morgan meant to say that if people have issues with local cannabis bans then they should change their local council-people. I hear lots of people are working on that, thank FSM. Morgan sounds like a sanctimonious prick.
Richardo Montoya // Jan 25, 2018 at 8:02 am
I agree with Sean Morgan on one point…and only one. People do need to come together and show a Presence and Demand that the Cannabis plant be de-scheduled or at least moved down the list of scheduling!
The plant was never outlawed based on Any Scientific Fact! Follow the MONEY…..Hearst and Mellon..
The Fact the Plant has medical benefits can be found in the Governments Own Patent on the plant for the medical benefits of the CBD in the plant! Patent No. 6,630,507 Talk about a Hypocrisy!
The Cannabis plant has the reputation of being the Amway of plants….very sad….because it is this plant that has helped and cured many people of many ailments. It takes an open mind to get all this….so half the population won’t get it….
Imagine just for a moment….that all this Refer Madness were not ingrained and indoctrinated into the minds of Americans….Imagine of Money were not an issue….Imagine the Evening News on all Stations saying….an Amazing plant was found in the Jungles of the Amazon….this plant has been studied and has been shown to help 100+ different Diseases and Ailments…..think anyone would be interested?