Camarillo bans marijuana businesses, says no to outdoor cultivation

The Camarillo City Council unanimously voted to ban all cannabis businesses and outdoor cultivation within city limits at a meeting earlier this month.

The city adopted an ordinance Nov. 15 that continues the restrictions the council put forth last November after the passage of Proposition 64, which legalized the recreational use of marijuana in California. 

Under Proposition 64, all California residents may cultivate up to six cannabis plants indoors as well as use marijuana recreationally in private. However, when it comes to commercial marijuana ventures, such as cultivation or manufacturing, the law leaves each city to regulate within its own jurisdiction.

    The restrictions within the Camarillo city ordinance include banning all commercial marijuana sites. That means no outdoor cultivation, manufacturing, distribution, retailers or testing laboratories.

    It also extends limits on indoor cultivation, requiring written consent from the property owner, compliance with the building code and forbidding the use of gas products.

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    Additionally, Camarillo restricted medical marijuana delivery to the hours between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m., and deliveries can only be done at private residences between caregivers and qualified patients.

    The ordinance will go into effect in Camarillo on Dec. 15.

    Restrictions on commercial marijuana facilities vary greatly throughout Ventura County.

    Last week, the Thousand Oaks City Council introduced an ordinance to allow for both a medical marijuana retailer and an experimental testing facility. The ordinance will be voted on by the council next Tuesday.

    Fillmore bans all commercial cannabis operations even deliveries, but earlier this month the city has indicated it may relax its stance on deliveries.

    Oxnard and Ventura have banned commercial cannabis sites within their city limits, but both have allowed the operation of medical marijuana delivery from dispensaries in other cities. 

    Port Hueneme has approved two medical marijuana dispensaries to open next year, with at least two more in the process of being authorized.

    Ventura County's first medical marijuana dispensary opened at the beginning of the month in Ojai, where another two dispensaries are set to open in coming weeks.