Cannabis Changes

Earlier this week, the County Board of Supervisors took final action to amend the county ordinance to require all cannabis cultivation facilities to apply for and obtain a Conditional Use Permit (CUP), effective January 31, 2023.

“The CUP requirement caps a year-long effort by the Coalition and the community to strengthen controls of cannabis cultivation facilities” stated Coalition for Responsible Cannabis President Blair Pence. “While we believe there is more work to be done, the CUP requirement is an important step in better controlling odors and other impacts from commercial scale cannabis in Santa Barbara County.”

The Coalition’s counsel Marc Chytilo stated: “The Board did the right thing here and created better controls for the commercial cannabis industry. Through legally significant statements by County Counsel, the County is now empowered to control odor from all cannabis operations where the project and site conditions warrant an Odor Abatement Plan. Until now, most outdoor grows have been exempted from any kind of odor control. This action will directly translate to improved odor conditions in rural areas that have been impacted, including the Highway 246 corridor.”

The Coalition has been actively involved in the County’s permitting and regulation of cannabis over the past three years. The County has approved a series of actions to strengthen regulation of cannabis at the Coalition’s urging, including imposition of a 1,575-acre cap on cannabis cultivation in the inland zones of the County, prohibition of cannabis operations in identified rural neighborhoods, mandating Odor Abatement Plans for cannabis cultivation operations where over 51% of the parcel is planted in cannabis, mandating that cannabis processing be conducted in enclosed facilities with best available control technologies to control odor, property line setbacks, limits on transfers of ownership of cannabis facilities, and more.

“As long as cannabis odors and other impacts harm our neighborhoods, schools, and businesses, the Coalition and its supporters will press the Board of Supervisors to adopt sensible regulations on commercial cannabis operations,” Pence said.