IntroductionMedical marijuana has increasingly been in the news as a growing number of states throughout the U.S. have passed measures or at least put on the ballot an initiative to legalize either medicinal or recreational marijuana usage.  The history of marijuana in the U.S. is one that goes back as far as the country itself:  hemp (a type of marijuana plant) was used for rope, paper and a number of other purposes because of its strong fibrous tissue.1  It was not until the Prohibition Era of the 1920s that marijuana began to be prohibited by law in the U.S.—and within a decade, it was regulated among most states under the Uniform State Narcotic Act.2  Thus, from its very first days as a crop grown by the Virginia Company for exporting to England by decree of James I—and in fact from the days of the first President of the U.S. George Washington growing hemp as one of his main farming crops—to now, whereupon marijuana is making a resurgence (if not for its industrious uses then at least for its medicinal uses), much has changed in the American political and social landscape.  On Nov. 8th, 2016, California residents voted to legalize marijuana use throughout the state.3  In Butte County, California, marijuana has had its own history, too.  This paper will conduct a geographical analysis of the impact of growing marijuana on the surrounding environment of Butte County, in terms of land use laws, zoning variances, and when and why dispensaries have been allowed and/or disallowed compared to other parts of the state.

Literature Review

In California, medical marijuana is defined under the Compassionate Use Act of 1996, in which with the recommendation of a physician, a patient can legally obtain and use marijuana for relief of symptoms associated with any number of illnesses or diseases that cause pain or suffering.4  Yet, marijuana usage was still criminalized for persons not using the drug medicinally.  As Andrew Boyd notes in his evaluation of medical marijuana laws in Butte County, Diane Monson had her home raided by Butte County sheriff’s deputies in 2002 when deputies during a flyover spotted “marijuana growing in her backyard.”5  Federal agents also assisted in the raid and six plants were found.  However, because of the state’s statutory law, Monson was well within her legal right to grow, possess and consume marijuana:  her physician had in fact recommended it for her degenerative spine disease.6  The raid of Monson’s home in Butte County, CA, is just one example of the tension between legality and criminality when it comes to the issue of growing marijuana.  While, as of Nov. 8th, 2016, California residents statewide will face no such tension going forward, having voted to legalize marijuana, up until then California residents faced a number of questions about the issue.

In Butte County in particular, the effect of growing marijuana on the environment had taken a toll on the way that the environment was policed (deputies working with federal agents, conducting flyovers of homes and raiding residences is just one example).  In fact, since 1913, marijuana had been banned in California.7...

 In Butte County, however, the situation has been less “lucrative” for marijuana growers.  For example, in 2010, Butte County passed Ordinance 2013, which prohibited medical marijuana dispensaries from selling marijuana in parts of the county that were unincorporated—the prohibition was extended for nearly 2 years.  In 2011, Butte County passed Ordinance 4037, which permanently outlawed all medical marijuana dispensaries in the county.  Because of pressure from local and federal agents, many dispensaries had by then left the county completely for less hostile parts of California.10
Damian Martin also identifies issues between local law enforcement agents and medicinal marijuana growers, such as Patrick Kevin Kelly, whose home was raided like Diane Monson’s.11  Thus, when it comes to zoning issues, Butte County has essentially ordered it that all dispensaries are in violation of zoning ordinances.  However, private growers, growing marijuana as per doctor’s recommendations have also come into conflict with law enforcement, indicating that there is no clear sense of where legality and criminality cross over.  Law enforcement agents in Butte County have indicated in their actions and surveillance that they do not condone marijuana growing in any form—but physicians following the letter of the law in Butte County have taken the liberty of recommending marijuana usage for patients like Patrick Kelly and Diane Monson.

Local Research

The issue of medical marijuana in Butte County has clearly been a contentious one, as the research on conflicts between local growers and law enforcement agents suggests, and as the County’s own laws regarding the banning of dispensaries since 2011 indicates.  Beginning in 1996, zoning for medical marijuana usage was permitted, but as the County began to crack down on medical marijuana, the dispensaries began to leave the county.  By 2011, when they were totally restricted from opening, almost all of them had already left.

Private growers, however, were still permitted to grow according to the law, having received a recommendation from their physician.  Still, this permission did not stop local law enforcement agents and…