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1 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Quilt project's vision: An America with fewer gun deaths ... Ashland New Plays Festival seeks out most interesting story telling ... 'It's about living' ... Quilt project's vision: An America with fewer gun deaths ... Ashland New Plays Festival seeks out most interesting story telling ... 'It's about living' ... OUR VIEW Our View: Meeting in the middle Comment DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Dec. 17, 2015 at 12:01 AM Posted Dec. 17, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News The City Council chose a reasonable middle ground on outdoor marijuana cultivation Tuesday night, striking a balance between outright prohibition and a wide-open permissiveness that could lead to conflicts over large-scale agriculture in residential area. The council voted to amend rules proposed by city staff, increasing the number of medical marijuana plants permitted outdoors from four to six. That's a reasonable accommodation for people who have a medical need for the plant. Measure 91, which legalized recreational marijuana, allows four plants per household, and the Ashland ordinance complies with that limit. The ordinance approved on first reading Tuesday also requires setbacks of 20 feet from neighboring residences and 10 feet from property lines, limits plant height to 10 feet and the growing area to 50 square feet — all reasonable rules. A second reading will take place before final passage. Medical grows were already permitted under state law, but most local jurisdictions had not enacted any limits. Licensed medical growers are allowed to grow for multiple patients, which can lead to complaints about odor and traffic. The need to allow medical marijuana cardholders to obtain medicine should not mean that what are essentially full-blown agricultural operations must be allowed in residential backyards. The six-plant limit lets individual patients grow for their own use; larger grows should be relegated to rural properties or moved inside, which the Ashland rules permit. Marijuana legalization is complicated. The council deserves congratulations for hammering out the details in a calm, well-reasoned fashion. DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Dec. 17, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2016 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. DailyTidings.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501