NEWS 5
SANTA ANA COLLEGE el Don/eldonnews.org • MONDAY, APRIL 30, 2018
MARIJUANA PART II BY NIKKI NELSEN
Growth
Spurt
Following marijuana’s
legalization, Californians are
digging into the plant’s growing
cultivation scene
Green energy
C
alifornia cultivators can now
produce their own homegrown
marijuana plants, following
the passage of Proposition 64
in 2016. Under the Adult Use
of Marijuana Act, individuals
21 years or older can cultivate up to 6 mature
plants or twelve immature plants under 24
inches high in a single residence.
Santa Ana City Council stated late 2016 that
the city prohibits outdoor cultivation oper-
ations within the city and requests personal
cultivators to apply for residential cultivation
permits.
Growers must confi ne their marijuana plants
to a designated indoor location or an outdoor
area that is clear from visible sight. Cultivation
limits remain the same for medicinal marijuana
patients, unless approved by a qualifi ed medical
physician or staff .
“Th ere is really no easy way to hide an out-
door grow, and if Santa Ana does not permit it,
then it should not even be an explorable option
for growers,” said 55 Hydroponics employee,
Brandon Fiore.
All cultivation permits and oversight occurs
under the Federal Drug Administration, work-
ing under the guide of CalCannabis Cultivation
Licensing, which has issued about 3400 tempo-
rary permits to interested patrons wishing to
California marijuana gardeners
can cultivate up to 6 mature
plants or twelve immature plants
under 24 inches / TNS
distribute and grow in large-scale operations or
projects.
“All commercial cannabis farmers must have
a state-issued temporary or annual cannabis
cultivation license,” said CalCannabis Culti-
vation Licensing Communications Manager
Rebecca Foree. “Temporary licenses are valid
for 120 days and the annual licenses must be
renewed every year.”
On April 17, city council members voted to
adjust legislation regarding commercial mar-
ijuana cultivation, manufacturing and distri-
bution to avoid outsourcing outside entities.
Currently, the California Department of Food
and Agriculture has not issued any temporary
licenses to Santa Ana, since the city originally
banned commercial growth in response to
AUMA.
Alongside personal and commercial mar-
ijuana growth, current and former cultiva-
tion off enders can seek legal relief from their
infractions following the law’s leniency and
opportunity to remove old charges.
California growers cultivating more than six
plants without proper permits can be charged
with a misdemeanor or a fi ne up to $500. Indi-
viduals under 21 years old caught cultivating
will be charged with an infraction.
Growing-related off enses prior to Jan. 1 can
be dropped if the off ense follows the guidelines
outlined in Prop. 64. Charges remain for indi-
viduals with multiple violent felonies, two or
more cultivation-related off enses for growing
six or more plants illegally or registered sex
off enders.
As one plans for personal or commercial cul-
tivation, individuals should educate themselves
on their city’s laws and regulations and infor-
mation on marijuana gardening and supplies.
Th e CDFA off ers training courses to educate
people about marijuana cultivation, challenging
the plant’s lasting stigma despite recent legaliza-
tion and changing culture.
“Th e CDFA is working hard to educate the
public about the cannabis regulations by off er-
ing licensing workshops across the state and by
providing numerous handouts,” Foree said.
Hydroponics stores provide supplies for or-
ganic plant gardening, such as fertilizer, plant-
safe pesticides and hoses, to promote healthy
fruit, vegetable, fl ower and marijuana growth.
Th e requirements for a successful indoor
grow includes additive-free solid, fi ltered or
bottled water, a heat lamp and proper air fi ltra-
tion to mimic outdoor settings. Growers should
also shield the plant from the lamp’s harsh 1000
watt rays with an air conditioning unit or fan.
“If you keep your grow simple and provide
the right soil, it is very easy to keep a grow
alive,” Fiore said.
If you keep
your grow
simple and
provide the
right soil, it
is very easy
to keep a
grow alive.
55 HYDROPONICS
EMPLOYEE
BRANDON FIORE