Livingston first banned commercial cannabis — now it’s looking at diving in

With the electorate ushering in recreational cannabis use in the state, Livingston’s leaders are taking a second look at their policies related to the plants.

The city passed an ordinance in January that allows medical marijuana patients to grow two plants outdoors. With the approval of Proposition 64, all Californians are allowed to grow six plants indoors for recreational use.

The city’s ordinance and the new state law set up a scenario where Livingston residents could grow a total of eight plants, with six inside and two outside, according to Jose Sanchez, Livingston’s city attorney.

“There’s some very important questions that the city’s (leaders are) going to have to ask themselves and some things the council’s going to have to think about,” Sanchez said.

The state’s new stance on recreational marijuana leaves a number of unknowns, he said, including whether users are allowed to smoke in their front yards and how the many regulations will be enforced.

Livingston banned dispensaries and commercial cultivation in January.

Councilman Alex McCabe requested city staff return to a future meeting with information on how other cities are dealing with the transition.

He pointed to cities like Coalinga, Hanford and others in Southern California that have approved large-scale cultivation and other commercial uses, though the state has not yet set up its regulatory system on cannabis.

“From our standpoint we need one or two more firefighters. We need more police staff,” he said. “A facility that’s basically the size of an acre could be bringing us $700,000 to $1 million in general fund money a year.”

Thinking ahead could give the city a head start on surrounding communities, he said.

Ramping up educational efforts around cannabis use will be important, according to Police Chief Ruben Chavez. He said fire hazards, impaired driving and keeping edible cannabis away from children will all play into the effort.

“I want to make sure we have a really strong educational component of the law, not only for adults but for children,” he said.

This story was originally published December 7, 2016 at 4:55 PM with the headline "Livingston first banned commercial cannabis — now it’s looking at diving in."