I have some words, actually some reality checks, for Mr. Guthrie.
First of all, he attempts to lump all cannabis cultivators into the same category. The reality is there are people who cultivate cannabis safely and responsibly and there are people that do not. The appropriate action is to make reasonable rules and effectively enforce them, not throw the baby out with the bathwater as Measure N does.
He arbitrarily states to all people involved in any form of cannabis cultivation that “you drive down property values” and “you depress the economy” and “you violated our trust.”
Let”s compare property values of Lake County to some of our neighboring counties who also have prominent cannabis cultivation. This will help us to have a more broad and accurate picture of the reality that we live in.
In Sonoma County you are allowed to grow 30 plants per patient, and there is no specified maximum limit on a parcel or parcel size minimum. According to the California Association of Realtors the median home price there is $463,000.
In Mendocino County, on a majority of properties there, you are allowed to grow 25 plants outdoors, and this has been the case for many years. The median home price is $300,000.
In Butte County where there is plenty of cannabis cultivation, their median price of homes is $255,000.
When you say the words Humboldt County, usually one of the first things to come to people”s mind is cannabis cultivation. The median price of homes there is $239,000.
In Yuba County their current ordinance allows 6-60 plants which is much more of a reasonable compromise than Measure N, and the median price of homes is $210,000.
And then we have Lake County, which according to the California Association of Realtors has a median home price of $143,000.
[Editor”s note: Depending upon the source and the use of “value,” “sales price” or “list price,” the figures will vary.]
There is a lot of cannabis grown in Sonoma, Mendocino, Humboldt and many other counties in Northern California. If it were true that cannabis cultivation is a major factor driving down real estate values and the economy, then how would you explain the fact that counties which have as much or more cannabis cultivation than Lake County, and have so for decades, have significantly higher real estate values and stronger economies than Lake County?
A Yes vote on Measure O to will help create balance of all the people”s needs here in Lake County and will help increase overall property values and improve the economy.
Daniel McLean, Lower Lake
