Wildomar Poised To Prohibit Hemp Production In City Limits

WILDOMAR, CA — The city of Wildomar has ordinances to oversee retail sales and industrial cultivation/manufacturing of cannabis, but nothing exists for hemp — and it looks like it will stay that way in the near term.

On Wednesday, the Wildomar Planning Commission will consider a resolution to prohibit industrial hemp cultivation across the city. The move would also list out penalties for violators.

The city has an existing moratorium in place on industrial hemp cultivation that expires in February 2022, but city staff is recommending a proactive approach ahead of the end date given that there's been no interest from prospective hemp cultivators.

"The Planning Department has not received any interest or applications for industrial hemp cultivation," according to city documents. "Thus, the public interest may be better served at this time by not expending public resources on establishing regulations for an industry that is not, and has expressed no interest in, operating in the City. Given this, staff believes it’s prudent at this time to propose an amendment to the Wildomar Municipal Code to prohibit industrial hemp cultivation in all zoning districts [in] the city."

Furthermore, the city contends that "industrial hemp cultivation presents public health, safety and welfare issues that must be mitigated if it is allowed, including but not limited to odor control, pests, security, and other public safety concerns."

According to the documents, the city can revisit the issue in the future.

In November, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a series of regulations on where and how hemp growers can operate in unincorporated areas of Riverside County, prohibiting grows where water availability is already a challenge.

The Industrial Hemp Cultivation & Manufacturing Ordinance was passed by the supervisors following a 90-minute hearing in which water, property setbacks and whether current growers should be "grandfathered" into the regulatory scheme were all debated.

The ordinance expressly prohibits hemp cultivation — indoor or outdoor — in large swaths of the Santa Margarita River Watershed, extending roughly from De Luz, just west of Temecula, east to Anza, south to the San Diego County line and north to Diamond Valley Lake near Hemet.

Under the county ordinance, registration and licensing have the following requirements:

— indoor and outdoor hemp cultivation must be a minimum of 1,000 feet from all schools, daycare centers, public parks and youth centers;

— all grows must be a minimum of 300 feet from any property in a residentially zoned location;

— all indoor cultivation sites must rely on 20% renewable energy for production;-- all sites must have water conservation and recapturing mechanisms to "minimize use of water where feasible"; and

— all sites must receive prior scrutiny by their local water agency to show that they do not pose a risk of excess or wasteful water consumption.

The size of grows could be anywhere from five to over 160 acres, depending on where they're situated, according to the county ordinance.

The main difference between hemp and unadulterated marijuana is the tetrahydrocannabinol — or THC — content. Hemp leaves have about three-tenths of 1 percent of the compounds contained in cannabis leaves, according to the Office of County Counsel.

Advocates of hemp production and research say its cannabidiol (CBD) properties have proven benefits in treating some health disorders. It's also used in clothing and other commercial applications.

Unlike cannabis, hemp is not federally designated as a controlled substance, and production is permitted on Native American lands, under the supervision of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The Santa Rosa Band of Cahuilla Indians began permitting hemp grows near Mountain Center in January 2020.

Wednesday's Wildomar Planning Commission meeting is scheduled at 6:30 p.m. Get more information here.