Mendocino County to vote on creation of pot panel

Officials in pot-rich Mendocino County are thinking ahead to the potential economic impacts of what they see as the inevitable legalization of marijuana for general use.

“Whether it’s at the state Legislature or the ballot box, it is foreseeable that we will have legalization for personal recreational use within the next two years,” said Supervisor John McCowen, one of two board members nominated to sit on a proposed committee that would study the issue. The county can either prepare for that event or wait on the sidelines, he said.

The board for years has supported cannabis legalization in hopes it will lead to improved controls over marijuana operations and the ability to tax the lucrative crop. The only way to quash the crime and environmental problems associated with marijuana production is to make it legal everywhere and apply consistent regulations, officials have said.

About two dozen states, including California, have legalized or decriminalized marijuana for some purposes. California voters in 1996 legalized marijuana for medicinal use. Colorado, Alaska, Oregon and Washington have legalized pot for personal use.

There have been multiple failed attempts to legalize marijuana outright in California. It’s widely believed that 2016 will be the year it occurs and county officials want to be ready.

“We have to get ahead of this. We can’t just act like it’s not there,” said freshman Supervisor Tom Woodhouse, the other board member being suggested for the marijuana-study committee.

As proposed, the committee would focus on the potential economic impacts of legalization.

There could be both positive and negative economic impacts from legalization, the supervisors noted. On the up side, legalization could create a new tax source.

On the downside, rural property values - which have been elevated by demand for pot-growing plots - likely will drop.

“We’re in a pot bubble,” said Woodhouse, a real estate broker in Mendocino County’s north county, where cannabis production is high.

It’s difficult for officials to estimate the current value of the underground economy in Mendocino County, and the guesses vary widely. But Woodhouse said he wouldn’t be surprised if it accounts for 30 percent to 40 percent of the county’s economy.

“It’s a huge chunk,” he said.

The county needs to understand the impacts of statewide legalization, which he expects to arrive through state legislation this year or via voters in 2016.

“The impacts to our local economy and the environment are huge” he said.

The board is scheduled to vote Tuesday on whether to create the committee and, if it is approved, choose its members.

You can reach Staff Writer Glenda Anderson at 462-6473 or glenda.anderson@pressdemocrat.com. ?On Twitter @MendoReporter