Cathedral City explores expansion of marijuana cultivation

The medical marijuana industry is green and growing in Cathedral City.

“It has it’s good and down sides I guess. It’s good because it will bring in money but then again, the way I see it, it’s here,” said 10-year-resident Crystal Quintan.

Some might even say the cannabis industry there is larger than life. All it takes to see it is a drive down one of the main drags and you will find huge billboards advertising for some of the local dispensaries.

Others say there’s room to grow.

On Wednesday night, the City Council began discussions on allowing cultivation north of Interstate-10 in an unincorporated area between Date Palm and Bob Hope Drive. The topic was referred to the Cannabis Task Force and planning commission for further comment.

There are no homes currently in the area and in an interview with KESQ News Channel 3’s and CBS Local 2’s Katie Widner, mayor pro tem Greg Pettis said the city has a tax on cultivation at $25 a square foot. Therefore, a 10,000-square-foot building would generate a quarter of a million dollars in revenue for the city.

“That’s significant,” Pettis said. “That’s three police officers that we could put out on the street or four firefighters.”

That is something that Nicholas Hughes, owner of Cathedral City Care Collective, said the industry as a whole brings to the table.

“The whole industry will create jobs. The test labs will bring in people with PH.D.s,” he said.

The City Council was also expected to authorize the manufacturing and testing of cannabis oils in industrial areas.

Nicholas Hughes, Cathedral City Care Collective: “Test labs really legitimatize the industry here in the city and make sure you’re not getting any carcinogens.”

The Council passed the manufacturing and testing of cannabis oils in industrial areas by a vote of 3-to-1.

What about residents who are worried about medical marijuana seeping into sensitive areas of the city?

“Youth facilities, schools, parks we don’t allow any type of cannabis use,” Pettis added.

He said those regulations could be expanded in the future as well. There are also major rules on how cannabis companies can produce their advertisements and there is a temporary moratorium on new pot shops in the city in effect.