Moorpark City Council took the first step Wednesday night to allow some industrial hemp companies in the city, including testing labs and CBD retailers.
The council voted 4-1 to introduce an ordinance allowing these companies. The ordinance is scheduled to be adopted by the council on November 17 and come into force 30 days later.
The cultivation of industrial hemp continues to be banned in the city. Marijuana cultivation and marijuana dispensaries are also banned.
Mayor Janice Parvin was against on Wednesday night, saying she did not feel “comfortable” with industrial hemp products or allow those companies to be in Moorpark.
“The FDA … only has limited data on its safety and there could be some real risks” to people consuming hemp products, including liver damage, he said.
“It just depends on the person,” Parvin said. “And if they take other medications and drink something that has (hemp),” it could pose a health risk, he said.
“So I’m personally not in favor of the ordinance or having that kind of business in our community,” Parvin said.
But council member Chris Enegren, who voted in favor of introducing the ordinance, said the law will allow the city to regulate industrial hemp companies to ensure, for example, that “we have no problem with large leaves. pot in buildings next to schools “. .
“I think this is kind of a developing industry, and we’ll see how it goes,” he said.
See what others read in the related news:
Industrial hemp is a cannabis plant like marijuana, but with a lower concentration of tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive ingredient often known as THC, which is what increases users.
The City Council permanently banned the cultivation of industrial hemp in February in response to complaints from dozens of residents about the strong odors from the plant that, until January, was legally grown in the neighboring valley of Tierra Rejada in Ventura County not incorporated. In January, county supervisors voted to ban hemp cultivation there.
The ordinance presented at the City Council meeting on Wednesday night will allow, with a conditional use permit, research laboratories and industrial hemp testing in the city.
The ordinance will also allow the city’s CBD retailers to have a 600-foot gap from schools, parks, churches and youth centers.
CBD, short for cannabidiol, is a chemical found in industrial hemp. Contains only traces of THC.
CBD oil is marketed as a product that can help reduce physical pain and inflammation, among other possible benefits. It is also used as an ingredient in many personal care products such as lotions and shampoos.
Stores with 5% or less of their retail space dedicated to selling CBD products will be exempt from the protection requirement, city spokesman Brian Chong said.
The municipal ordinance will not allow the manufacture, processing or storage of industrial hemp.
Shanna Farley-Judkins, the city’s chief planner, said Thursday in a statement that the city has not yet received any requests from hemp companies.
“We have received some inquiries from phone calls over the past few years about hemp and cannabis regulations, but no formal requests or locations have been identified,” he said.
Wednesday night there were no public speakers.
Mike Harris covers the eastern county towns of Moorpark, Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks, as well as countywide transportation. You can contact him at mike.harris@vcstar.com or at 805-437-0323.
SUPPORT FOR LOCAL JOURNALISM and get all the latest news on Moorpark, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks and on transportation from Star reporter Mike Harris. Get a digital subscription.
