Recent chatter in the airways suggests the Ordinance regarding outdoor cultivation of medicinal cannabis within the city limits of Fresno Ca, will be on the June 21st Agenda. So here we go again! Only this time it’s with the city council and not the county. The one thing I can say is that the city of Fresno’s ordinance is a lot less restrictive by leaps and bounds. The Fresno County medical marijuana Ordinance is extremely restrictive. Here is a quick summary of the Fresno County medical marijuana ordinance in regards to cultivation.
So any patient that has the poor misfortune of living in the county has to meet all the requirements listed above. Even for personal cultivation? Yes! Fresno county’s ordinance is one of, if not the states most restrictive ordinance in regards to Cultivation, Use, distribution and possession in the entire state of California. Well now we have the city of Fresno planning to do the same thing.
So for all of those patients out there who provide themselves with outdoor grown medicine on their own property every year will no longer be allowed to grow directly under the sun within the city limits. They will now have to spend 100′s to 1000′s of dollars building a secure structure for their medicinal garden. Much like the county’s ordinance we see they have chosen to restrict access to the cheapest and most affordable way of providing yourself with quality affordable medicinal cannabis. Cultivating your own medicinal cannabis is one of the only fail safe ways to ensure the patient knows the quality, the strain, and the grade of the medicinal cannabis.
Once again the local Fresno governing bodies choose to restrict patients access instead of addressing and correcting the real underlying issues. Most of the qualified patients that use medicinal cannabis are on a limited income, disability, social security, chemotherapy patients, cancer patients, H.I.V Patients, and many more ailments that already restrict their access and ability to cultivate their own medicine. Now the city of Fresno is telling those “Over-Qualified” patients they can’t even grow those plants on their own property. Most of these patients are already suffering in these low economic times from there overpriced healthcare costs. Now the City of Fresno wants to tack 100′s of 1000′s of dollars to an already struggling patient.
Does any of this seem fair to you ? Sure as hell don’t to me! What if the only relief or cure you found for your ailment or sickness was kicked around like a political football up and down the state. And your local city council or county supervisors decide that your medicine is too much of a health and safety risk for the citizens. Now the only thing that increases your appetite after chemotherapy, or relieves your completely disabling migraines, or help to stimulate and increase the function of your weakened immune system from the H.I.V Virus that is attacking it IS GONE. Walk a mile in the shoes of a qualified medicinal patient before you come to such restrictive ordinances and regulations.
The people and qualified patients of Fresno City and county deserve better than this. These qualified patients need acceptance, understanding and compassion, not restrictive ordinances that go against the very purposes of a voter approved proposition passed 16 years ago. I am only 1 man! But I am able-bodied and willing to fight and educate on behalf of those medicinal cannabis patients that can’t. We need the medicinal cannabis patients and community to show up at the Fresno City Council meeting this June 21, 2012. These elected representatives need to see that the medicinal cannabis patients really have a face and in fact are, Mothers, Fathers, daughters, Sons, Grandfathers, grandmothers, Black, Hispanic, White, Hmong, Asian and everything else I left out. We are the medicinal cannabis community, and we aint going nowhere. We are here to stay ! And I will be damned if I allow this to happen in my hometown without a fight. So I urge all patients and supporters of medicinal cannabis to start educating the masses here in Fresno, Ca. Sit down for an hour and put your thoughts to paper. Create a respectful 3 minute presentation on how this will affect you and the medicinal patients of Fresno, Ca. Then show up at the city council meeting and share that with the Fresno City Council members. Nobody is going to show up and do it for us. Untill the City of Fresno Understands the struggles of the medicinal cannabis patient and forms regulations and ordinances that truly address these issues in a compassionate and respectful way, I WONT STOP, AND NEITHER SHOULD YOU !
This past Wednesday, may 16 2012. The Fresno Planning Commission voted 4-2 on Wednesday to recommend passage of a permanent ban on growing medical marijuana outdoors anywhere in the city of Fresno. I was one of three people to speak against the proposed ban and some of the underlying legal issues. I myself did not submit anything in writing because I felt that speaking from my heart works best for me. I asked the planning commission to please consider who will be effected the most by the passing such a restrictive ordinance. What about the patients who are on disability ? What about the patients who can barely afford to grow a few plants under the sun each season? The patients on fixed incomes who are already having a hard time scraping by ? Such a restrictive ordinance affects the poorest and most neediest of the medicinal cannabis patients here in Fresno, Ca.
I then went on to say that I am not here to advocate for thousand plant grow sites in the city limits. I am here to stand up for the patients right to legally cultivate their own medicine, on their own property. I told them that I was all for sensible regulations on outdoor cultivation within the city limits. But what the city currently had drafted was way to restrictive and would only further restrict patients access to affordable quality medicinal cannabis. Transplanting even a small 2 or 4 plant garden from outdoors to indoors can be very costly. It’s not as simple as ripping the plants from the ground, Throwing them in the bath tub and hanging a light bulb above it. Which by the way where the actual words of a judge here in Fresno recently, and also prior statements of the Law enforcement official giving the presentation before the planning commission just minutes before.
Actually to Give Lt. David Newton of the FPD narcotics division credit, he actually said cheap Led lights, which some growers are switching to, but are rarely used due to little information about production and output. personally there isn’t enough proven evidence to switch anything just yet. I also stated to the planning commission board that I myself do not hate Law enforcement, nor do I blame them for the position they have been in put in. But I am here to advocate Law enforcement does serve and protect the legal medicinal cannabis community like everyone else. I went on to say how I did agree that we needed to work with law enforcement to reign in those who are abusing the medicinal cannabis industry. But we also should not throw away the baby with the bath water. Dont punish the patients for the actions of the criminals.
After Comments from the other 2 whole speakers in opposition Diane Valdovinos ( Local Advocate ) and Micheal Green of Cal pot news. The commission board commended us for our statements. They then proceeded to vote on the ordinance. Many of the members of the planning commission said they understood our concerns but that they didn’t feel it was as restrictive and voted in favor. But one planning commissioner statements specifically hit home for me and made me feel as if we did have a very small victory in the overall battle. Luisa Medina of the planning commission said she was going to vote in favor of the ordinance but after hearing the statements in opposition from the three of us she had changed her mind. I was overjoyed with pride when I heard her say that. The fact that the statements of mine and that of my friends made a difference that day. Though we lost the overall battle, but through education and compassion we changed the heart and mind of just one person who would have otherwise just gone along with protocol and passed the ordinance.
After the planning commission meeting was dismissed we retreated to the front of the city hall building to gather our thoughts. We where then greeted by Luisa medina and Andy Hansen-Smith of the planning commission. they had some great words of encouragement and thanked us for coming out voicing our concerns to the commission. But the real highlight of that evening for me personally was when Lt. David Newton of the FPD confronted me outside of city hall and thanked me for coming. He also told me that I was a very good representative the for medicinal cannabis community and that he actually voted for prop 215 back in 1996. Lt David Newton also said that he looked forward to seeing me again. I jokingly replied, well I hope its at the next city council meeting and not anywhere else. We both laughed, shook hands and parted ways. Now those are the kinds of encounters with law enforcement I would prefer happen.
But for those who believe the opponent has the upper hand and it’s just to large a hill to climb. Dont give Up ! Three dedicated cannabis activists didn’t win the overall battle this past Wednesday, but they are winning the hearts and minds through the power of compassion and education. The key to ending patient discrimination in local counties and city’s here in the central valley is through education and compassion. Through this blog and various other social media I will keep you posted on when the ordinance will be going before the Fresno City council.
This past Wednesday, may 16 2012. The Fresno Planning Commission voted 4-2 on Wednesday to recommend passage of a permanent ban on growing medical marijuana outdoors anywhere in the city of Fresno. I was one of three people to speak against the proposed ban and some of the underlying legal issues. I myself did not submit anything in writing because I felt that speaking from my heart works best for me. I asked the planning commission to please consider who will be effected the most by the passing such a restrictive ordinance. What about the patients who are on disability ? What about the patients who can barely afford to grow a few plants under the sun each season? The patients on fixed incomes who are already having a hard time scraping by ? Such a restrictive ordinance affects the poorest and most neediest of the medicinal cannabis patients here in Fresno, Ca. 
Actually to Give Lt. David Newton of the FPD narcotics division credit, he actually said cheap Led lights, which some growers are switching to, but are rarely used due to little information about production and output. personally there isn’t enough proven evidence to switch anything just yet. I also stated to the planning commission board that I myself do not hate Law enforcement, nor do I blame them for the position they have been in put in. But I am here to advocate Law enforcement does serve and protect the legal medicinal cannabis community like everyone else. I went on to say how I did agree that we needed to work with law enforcement to reign in those who are abusing the medicinal cannabis industry. But we also should not throw away the baby with the bath water. Dont punish the patients for the actions of the criminals.
But one planning commissioner statements specifically hit home for me and made me feel as if we did have a very small victory in the overall battle. Luisa Medina of the planning commission said she was going to vote in favor of the ordinance but after hearing the statements in opposition from the three of us she had changed her mind. I was overjoyed with pride when I heard her say that. The fact that the statements of mine and that of my friends made a difference that day. Though we lost the overall battle, but through education and compassion we changed the heart and mind of just one person who would have otherwise just gone along with protocol and passed the ordinance.
