Two years ago, Sacramento popularized the municipal approach of assessing a fine against landlords and other property owners, associated with illicit grows. Today, the City of Malibu and Stanislaus and Placer Counties are levying $1,000-per-plant penalties as a way of warring against the traditional market. More than a dozen cities and counties statewide are exploring similar strategies or have begun implementing them.
On the other hand, property owners in Sactown are taking legal action against the city. Landlords claim the fines violate their constitutional rights and are excessive.
Capital Public Radio
- Back in 2014, before it was cool, Fresno County actually began the trend of fining landlords a grand for illegal plants discovered on their properties.
- Sacramento isn’t merely a municipal fine groundbreaker, it’s also the harshest. The county penalizes $1,000 a plant, every day. The city of Sacramento fines property owners $500 per plant. It also is taking its fine-ass show on the road, providing consulting services to the County in developing its ordinance. (“The per-day thing? Brilliant!” said the county.) Elk Grove and Long Beach are also learning at the feet of Sacramento’s fine leadership.
- How about the unwitting landlords though? Unsurprsingly, many are claiming they knew nothing of their tenants grows. In the past year-and-a-half hundreds of property owners have challenged their penalties, which have amounted to $94M. They’ve also filed more than 50 legal actions.
Quick Hits
- As evidenced by most WeedWeek California readers’ ability to consume this content, describing the Golden State’s legal weed kick-off as a canary in a coal mine for the rest of North America isn’t wholly accurate. But, beyond the literal? Apt af.
Chicago Tribune - QR codes can now be used to verify whether a dealer is state sanctioned, On Thursday the Bureau of Cannabis Control announced a program through which participating dispensaries can have codes in their windows scanned by and linked to the bureau’s online license system.
Associated Press
