I didn't inhale
Mmmm--kay now... From
The Mercury News/AP comes this story of a bit of legislation proposed for Mendocino County, CA:
bq.
Mendocino County mulls organic pot
Mendocino County, the rugged California outpost that was first in the nation to ban genetically modified crops, is striding toward a new agriculture frontier with a proposal to certify medical marijuana as organic.
bq. The notion of pesticide-free pot is eliciting a few chuckles. But county officials, who are waiting to hear back from the state agriculture secretary about their proposal, say the issue is quite serious - with no system to regulate cultivation, consumers are at risk.
bq. "We regulate wine grape growers and pear growers and everybody else, so why shouldn't we also regulate pot growers?" said Tony Linegar, assistant agricultural commissioner for Mendocino County. "It's really an agricultural crop. In our estimate it should be subject to a lot of the same laws and regulations as commercial agriculture."
Mendocino voters passed a first-in-the-nation measure banning the raising of genetically engineered plants and animals last year. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you... A closing comment from Tony:
bq. "When things like this crop up it's almost our county that's on the cutting left edge if you will," Linegar said. "When I'm discussing these issues with my counterparts in other counties, they really can't relate to the problems that we're facing in Mendocino. They laugh sometimes. But to us it's really a serious issue."
Could not have said it better myself...
Posted by DaveH at February 16, 2005 11:18 AM