The City Council will have to hash out one final problem in the Medical Marijuana Ordinance it will consider Tuesday night what amounts individuals and collectives will be allowed to grow and possess. Medical marijuana advocates want the ordinance to match Oakland s, which allows individuals to grow 144 plants indoors or 60 outdoors.
Collective growers have no limits.
City staff is recommending that Berkeley s ordinance stay more in line with counties such as Marin and allow individuals to grow no more than 10 plants and limit collectives to 50 plants. The council first referred the issue to the City Attorney s Office in December 1999 asking for a draft ordinance that would allow chronically ill and terminally ill patients to legally grow and use marijuana. The draft was then sent to the Community Health Commission in July. The CHC revised the ordinance allowing more plants for personal use and possession than city staff had recommended. City Manager Weldon Rucker asked the commission to reduce the allowable numbers.