Colton continues to prep for potential Marijuana legalization

The City Council on Tuesday passed an ordinance that will immediately regulate Marijuana usage and production if a state proposition is passed by voters next week.

An urgency ordinance was approved to allow city officials to temporarily prohibit any cultivation, delivery, sale, and transportation of Marijuana, while permanent regulations are developed.

Proposition 64, the Adult Use of Marijuana Act, would allow for California residents to recreationally use, possess, and transport up to one ounce of Marijuana. However, the act will also allow cities to place restrictions on outdoor cultivation, ban marijuana-related businesses, and regulate indoor cultivation

Currently the city’s municipal code bans medical marijuana dispensaries from operating and prohibits residents from cultivating the plant.

Attorney Jordan Ferguson told the council that an urgency ordinance is needed to implement the immediate effects of Proposition 64, which would be the legalization of recreational usage, possession, and indoor cultivation.

Businesses interested in obtaining licenses to cultivate, possess, and sell marijuana will not be allowed to do so until early 2018.

Suchil believes the urgency ordinance is a good idea because it will allow the city to construct a thorough plan to control marijuana use. His motivation stems from a news report aired by 60 Minutes on CBS that highlighted Colorado’s issues with Marijuana legalization.

“All the things they said were going to happen [in Colorado] are not happening,” Suchil said. “In fact problems are increasing. There are too many unknowns.”

Mayor Richard De La Rosa, while understanding the community’s concerns regarding health and safety, urges his colleagues on the dais to investigate whether Marijuana can provide any economic benefits.

“This is something we cannot ignore,” De La Rosa said. “I understand the interpretation and the personal side of your beliefs, but the business side cannot be ignored.”