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Consider adopting an urgency interim ordinance imposing a temporary moratorium on the cultivation of processing of industrial hemp in the unincorporated areas of the County of Solano (4/5 vote required)
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Published Notice Required? Yes ____ No _X _
Public Hearing Required? Yes ____ No _X _
DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION:
The Agriculture Department and the Department of Resource Management recommend that the Board:
1) Read the proposed ordinance by title only and waive further reading by majority vote; and
2) Consider adopting an urgency interim ordinance establishing a temporary moratorium on the cultivation or processing of industrial hemp in the unincorporated areas of the County of Solano (4/5 vote required).
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION:
Hemp cultivators and seed breeders were required to register with the Solano County Agriculture Department prior to cultivation beginning in 2019. This was the result of the 2018 Farm Bill and subsequent California legislation that removed hemp from the Controlled Substance Act and classifying it as an agricultural commodity. To date, the Agriculture Department has issued registrations for hemp cultivation to three growers on nine sites, totaling approximately 476 acres.
The plant looks the same as cannabis, and as it matures has the same strong odor. While hemp has been grown in history as a plant for fiber, the value of the plant today is in the CBD (cannabidiol) oil it produces, which is used in many over the counter products that are sold.
As the hemp crops on the above noted sites have approached harvest, there has been a documented and significant increase in criminal activity regarding the plants in the open fields. Although the crop was marked with signage (as required by regulation) indicating it was hemp, not cannabis, there have been thefts of plants, a shooting, and robberies. The Sheriff's Department has responded to many incidents and multiple arrests have occurred. These incidents appear t...
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