Many cities in Tulare County seem to be okay with having different or even no policy when it comes to medical marijuana.
The Grand Jury Report recommends cities all come together on the issue. To say that medical marijuana has been a hot button issue in Tulare County would be an understatement.
The Tulare County Sheriff's Office is inundated with calls about illegal grows and the board of supervisors has constantly updated its ordinance when it comes to managing medical marijuana collectives and gardens. However, cities medical marijuana policies are different from town to town.
" We believe all the incorporated cities should have some kind of uniform medical marijuana ordinance and permit process but all the cities have to become they have to work with each other in order to do that," said Kat Harris from the Tulare County Grand Jury.
Tulare County Grand Jury foreman Pro-Tem said every city in Tulare County abides by different rules.
" Dinuba does not have an ordinance at all and they don't have a permit process they don't know if they have any marijuana grows at all," said Harris.
The cities of Porterville and Tulare have no policy about medical marijuana. Tulare leaders told me they did not take action in response to the Grand Jury Report and planed to continue to enforce the state and federal medical marijuana laws, without enacting a local policy.Exeter, has a similar outlook.
"That's probably the one point we really depart from the grand jury's recommendations is we don't think it's practical for every community to have the exact same approach. Every city is different," said City of Exeter's Randy Groom.
Exeter's land use policy requires all property owners to obey state and federal laws. Officials then enforce violations of those laws when it comes to medical marijuana. City leaders said their policy, or lack of policy, has proven to be effective.
"We certainly know that there exists a problem everywhere including in Exeter and we're open to changing the way we approach it we have simply chosen to take a very conservative approach," said Groom.
The Grand Jury Report also recommends all cities have a permit process and a medical marijuana ordinance. The report also recommends that cities have a system that lets them each share information so they can keep track of different illegal grows and the perpetrators.
