No, cannabis cultivation is not legal in Glenn County, California. However, there are certain exemptions to the local laws that allow people to cultivate limited quantities of cannabis plants. California laws allow the cultivation of cannabis for both medical and recreational uses. Medical cannabis was legalized in California in 1996 with the passage of the Compassionate Use Act, a bill also referred to as Proposition 215. The Compassionate Use Act allows both minors and adults 18 years of age or older diagnosed with serious medical conditions to use medical cannabis. California legalized recreational marijuana in 2016 by the passage of the Adult Use Marijuana Act, also referred to as Proposition 64. The Medicinal and Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (MAUCRSA), also code-named California State Senate Bill 94, was passed in 2017 by the senate. The Act unified the Compassionate Use Act and the Adult Use Marijuana Act. It authorizes counties, cities, and towns in California to make their own laws regarding the cultivation, manufacture, testing, distribution, and sales of marijuana. These laws must also be made in conformity with the Medicinal and Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (MAUCRSA). MAUCRSA allows medical marijuana patients in California to cultivate up to six marijuana plants in their residence.
Section 15.797.010 of the Glenn County code was developed to implement the state laws regarding the Medicinal and Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (MAUCRSA). It provided a means for regulating the cultivation, manufacturing, testing, sales, distribution of cannabis in accordance with state laws. The code balances the health, safety, and welfare of residents and businesses under the territory of Glenn County. Section 15.797.020 of the Glenn County code generally prohibits the cultivation of cannabis in all zoning districts of the county. Section 15.797.30 allows for exceptions to this code under the conditions stated below. The section allows the cultivation of six or fewer cannabis plants in an indoor section of a residence if all of the following conditions are met, including:
No, cannabis manufacturing businesses are prohibited in all the zoning districts of Glenn County. Section 15.797.040 of the Glenn County code declares the manufacturing of cannabis in any of the zoning districts of Glenn County a public nuisance.
No, cannabis retail is not legal in Glenn County. Section 15.797.020 (b) of the Glenn County Code prohibits the operation of businesses that sell, distribute, and dispense marijuana. No type of recreational cannabis product can be sold in Glenn County. The sale of cannabis edibles is also not allowed. Glenn Code permits the sale of cannabis plants to registered patients for medical purposes. Section 15.020.020 6d of the Glenn County code specifies that marijuana can be purchased from a medical marijuana dispensary only by:
Yes, medical marijuana may be delivered to the residential addresses of authorized persons like qualified patients or primary caregivers in Glenn County. Section 15.797.030 (b) of the Glenn County Code allows persons employed by licensed cannabis delivery services to transport and deliver cannabis in the county. This may be delivered only to authorized persons within the incorporated areas of the county where delivery of medical cannabis is not prohibited.
Patients with any qualifying medical condition or other debilitating conditions are required to get a written recommendation from a doctor declaring that their medical condition can be managed with medical cannabis. The medical condition may be any of the following:
Thereafter, they will be required to download and complete the Medical Marijuana Program Application/Renewal Form (CDPH 9042). The completed form is to be submitted in person to the Office of the Glenn County Health and Human Service Agency. The applicant must be a resident of Glenn County. Other documents required to be submitted with the Medical Marijuana Program Application/Renewal Form include:
The patient will also be required to pay a Medical Marijuana Identification Card Application Fee of $50. However, if the patient is indigent, the fee may be waived entirely. An applicant will have their photo taken at the Glenn County Health and Human Service Agency office. The photo taken will be used on their MMIC. Patients may visit the Glenn County Health and Human Service Agency office using the following address.
Glenn County Health and Human Service Agency
240 North Villa Avenue
Willows, CA 95988
(530) 934-6588
The Glenn County Health and Human Services Agency can be visited between 8.00 am and 5.00 pm from Mondays to Fridays.
The cultivation, manufacturing, and distribution of cannabis are legal in California but prohibited in Glenn County. Glenn County, however, allows the cultivation and distribution of cannabis for medical purposes in the county. There is no data showing the impact of cannabis legalization on the Glenn County economy. The California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA) publishes a quarterly Cannabis Taxable Sales by County Report for counties in California. However, Glenn County is not included because it is yet to legalize cannabis business activities.
The legalization of cannabis in California has not significantly affected the rate of DUI offenses in Glenn County. The 2018 report of the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) showed that Glenn County had 234 DUI arrests in 2014, 156 DUI arrests in 2015, and 180 DUI arrests in 2016. These figures show a decline in DUI arrests from 2014 to 2015 and a relative increase from 2015 to 2016. However, the DUI arrests in 2016 are not up to the number of arrests made in 2014. The published 2020 report of the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) shows that 168 DUI arrests were recorded in 2017 and 165 arrests in 2018. Recreational cannabis was legalized in California in 2016. The records of DUI arrests in the years after 2016 do not reflect any significant impact of cannabis legalization on DUI offenses in the county. The California Department of Motor Vehicles has not published the DUI arrests records for 2019, 2020, and 2021.
The reports of drug-related offenses published by the California Department of Justice for Glenn County have not shown a significant relationship between cannabis legalization in the county and drug offenses. The number of drug-related offenses in Glenn County in 2016 was 36, and in 2017, the number reduced to 18 cases. In 2018, drug-related arrests increased again to 23, and in 2019, there were 21 arrests. Drug-related arrests were 17 in 2020. The number of drug-related arrests recorded in 2016, when recreational cannabis was legalized is higher than the records for the later years. The arrest data for 2017 was lower than the data of 2016, although the arrest data slightly increased in 2018. Drug-related arrests steadily declined in 2019 and 2020.