The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors approved a commercial cannabis ordinance that has negatively impacted the lives of many rural residents

In 2016, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors approved a commercial cannabis ordinance that did not adequately assess the potential negative impacts to rural residents. Some of the negative impacts include pungent skunk odor and increased noise and traffic due to commercial cannabis businesses in neighborhoods, adjacent to homes. Many of these businesses are on rural, one-lane roads and in high fire prone areas. They are also allowed to operate in parts of Sonoma County where water is scarce.

It’s legal today to grow cannabis on a 10-acre DA, LIA, or RRD-zoned parcel surrounded by homes, permitting the outdoor plants are 300 feet from a neighboring house. Your veggie garden could be just 100 feet away from those outdoor plants, for example; and your kitchen could be just 10 feet from indoor cultivation structures, parking lots, and employee activities — per today’s current ordinance.

Save our Sonoma Neighborhoods is a neighborhood advocacy group determined to preserve the unique rural character and quality of life of Sonoma County and protect the property rights of its rural residents. We are working with Sonoma County staff and the Board of Supervisors to ensure cannabis cultivation does not adversely impact neighborhoods.