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Lit_Match

Pot grows set off safety concerns
06-17-07|The Times Standard|Thadeus Greenson

n 1996, Proposition 215 was proposed to decriminalize people growing and using medicinal marijuana.

More than a decade later, Arcata Assistant Fire Chief Ed Trigeiro is wondering why many of the area's 215 patients are still acting like criminals.

”What we don't understand is, if these people are (growing marijuana) as a 215 grow, if it's legitimate, why aren't they doing it legitimately?” Trigeiro asked. “We see people that have their 215 letters on the walls claiming 215 grows, yet they're hiding them behind false walls.”

Grow houses have been a hot topic in Arcata lately.

A recent City Council meeting saw neighbors vent frustrations over the grows, with some expressing worries about the grows attracting criminal activity and others simply complaining about the smell.

Meanwhile, the April 4 meeting saw a rally of about 80 people threatening litigation if the city were to step between them and their 215 cards.

Arcata Community Development Coordinator Tom Conlon, who is working on a report about the subject for the council, said the issue is complex. First, he said, the city firmly supports compassionate care -- a seemingly more politically correct term for medical marijuana

-- both in terms of dispensaries and private grows.

But, having a labyrinth of grow houses, some consisting of one room dedicated to marijuana cultivation and others entirely converted to nursery-like operations, is causing problems.

Trigeiro said poorly set up grows cause a lot of the structure fires the department responds to in Arcata. He estimated about 75 percent of those have some kind of 215 documentation on the wall.

”The biggest thing we're concerned about is the safety factor,” Trigeiro said, adding that fires caused by poorly operated grows can damage adjacent properties and pose a serious threat to firefighters.

Growers with 215 cards don't need to hide in the shadows, Trigeiro said. They can call the fire marshal and request an inspection. The marshal will point out any improper wiring or other fire hazards, he said.

City Manager Michael Hackett said he knows Arcata has its fair share of grow houses, but worries most about the ones occupied by renters. With Humboldt State University welcoming its largest-ever freshman class, the issue of how rentals are used seems especially timely.

Not only do the grow houses take up a chunk of the already limited supply of the city's rentals, but they also often require structural modifications and sometimes leave rental units seriously damaged.

”The district attorney calls it a victimless crime,” Trigeiro said. “But owners are the victims. They are doing major damage to these structures.”

Some see zoning ordinances as a possible solution that would stick major grow operations in one section of town. Conlon said that solution raises the questions of where to draw the line.

”This whole thing about it's a weed and I'm able to grow it in my back yard has changed quite a bit,” he said. “It becomes very complex, very quickly.”

Councilman Paul Pitino said he sees a fairly easy solution to all this -- legalization.

”Like Mendocino County is asking the state for,” Pitino said. “It would be nice if Humboldt County would follow its neighbor.”

Pitino delved into history to illustrate his point.

”I grew up with my parents telling me how pointless and how stupid prohibition was,” he said, adding that liquor still fires used to be commonplace. “Now, we're living through another prohibition.”