Earlier this year, San Bernardino County sponsored two key pieces of state legislation to help fight illegal cannabis farming across California. Both bills last week advanced after receiving unanimous approval in committee hearings in the State Legislature.
Senate Bill 1426 by Sen. Anna Caballero (D-Salinas) creates tougher criminal penalties for illegal cannabis-related environmental crimes. It was amended in the Senate Public Safety Committee to allow prosecutors to charge illegal cannabis cultivators growing over 50 marijuana plants with either a felony or misdemeanor for stealing water, polluting groundwater, or damaging the environment with hazardous chemicals and pesticides.
SB 1426 passed the Public Safety Committee on a 4-0 vote and will now move on to the Natural Resources Committee.
“It’s a major step forward in the county’s efforts to improve public safety and protect the environment,” the county stated in a release.
AB 2728 by Assemblyman Thurston “Smitty” Smith (R-Apple Valley) creates a graduated civil penalty structure in state law. It prescribes higher fines based on the number of cannabis plants that are illegally cultivated. Greater enforcement against illegal cannabis farming decreases the available cannabis supply in the state, helping to support the legal cannabis market.
AB 2728 passed the Assembly Business and Professions Committee on a 15-0 vote and will next be heard in the Judiciary Committee.
