Sonoma County supervisors punted Tuesday on a proposal to make it easier for cannabis growers to obtain a permit from the county, saying further examination of the environmental effects and more public input is needed.
The proposed rules, approved by the county Planning Commission and more than a year in development, would have given the county's agricultural commissioner more leeway to issue permits for cannabis cultivation and removed a 1-acre cap on marijuana crops for farms of 10 acres or more.
Multiple board members noted that while the county has not acted with haste to adapt its regulations concerning cannabis growth, the proposal considered Tuesday did not have enough input from county residents, particularly those who live in more rural areas of the county and would be closest to new and larger cannabis grows.
"It's very frustrating to the communities that we represent and I think it's also very demoralizing to staff to have worked for a year and a half only to come up what feels like empty handed and sort of having to reset and start all over," said Lynda Hopkins, board chair.
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