Community leaders in Fallbrook are urging San Diego County officials to halt plans for a cannabis program in unincorporated areas until the environmental analysis is updated with more recent data. This call comes as the Fallbrook Planning Group, a 15-member elected advisory board, approved its recommendations on the county’s draft environmental impact report (DEIR) for the proposed Socially Equitable Cannabis Program.
The program, which was put forward by the San Diego County Board of Supervisors last year, aims to permit commercial cannabis operations in the county’s unincorporated regions. It includes a social equity component designed to give individuals previously incarcerated under past cannabis laws a chance to participate in the legal market. While some residents are concerned about this social equity aspect, the planning group’s comments primarily addressed environmental issues.
The DEIR presents five alternatives regarding cannabis cultivation, ranging from maintaining the current regulations to allowing various levels of commercial cultivation, including outdoor and mixed-light grows. These alternatives also propose buffer zones between cannabis operations and sensitive land uses such as schools, parks, and homes.
Alternative 1 is the “no project” option, which would keep current cannabis regulations intact. At present, only five existing commercial cannabis facilities in the unincorporated areas near Escondido, Ramona, and El Cajon can continue their operations.
Alternative 2, known as the “proposed project” option, would apply state regulations for buffer zones, requiring a 600-foot distance from sensitive uses like schools and youth centers while allowing both indoor and outdoor grow operations.
Alternative 3 suggests expanded county regulations, increasing the buffer to 1,000 feet from sensitive sites, which would now include regional parks, public trails, childcare centers, and more. This option would also prohibit advertising cannabis on billboards within 1,000 feet of these sensitive uses.
Alternative 4 would restrict cannabis cultivation to mixed-light and indoor operations only, banning outdoor growth. It would also maintain the 1,000-foot buffer and prohibit cannabis billboards near sensitive areas.
Finally, Alternative 5 would allow outdoor grow operations but only on one acre of the property’s total canopy area or 25% of the lot size, whichever is smaller. This option would also enforce the 1,000-foot buffer and billboard restrictions.
Ultimately, the planning group recommended Alternative 1, the “no project” option, to maintain existing regulations and prevent new cannabis businesses from opening. They stated that, based on failed programs and court rulings in other areas, the county should reevaluate the initiative. They noted, “The idea that legal cannabis businesses will help prevent illegal cannabis businesses appears to be flawed.”
Despite recognizing that no change to current regulations is unlikely, the group supported Alternative 4 as the “environmentally superior alternative,” which would permit only indoor and mixed-light cultivation while implementing expanded buffers.
Eileen Delaney, chairperson of the Fallbrook Planning Group, emphasized that the community’s primary concerns revolve around issues such as odor and pesticide use.
