Lawyers and industry reps try to get ahead of medical marijuana rules – by writing them.

A dozen people are seated around a long, stately table with a wood finish so smooth it reflects the lights above. They’re reviewing zoning policy, a tedious task. They keep themselves going through the three-hour meeting by snacking on bite-sized candy bars and sipping cold soda, stocked in a mini fridge.

It’s a conference room at the Salinas law office of L+G where groups that look just like this gather often. But this group is different: They meet at 4:20pm, the famous time stoners are supposed to light up every day. And this group, which calls itself the Coastal Growers Association, is drafting regulations for medical marijuana.

Attorney Aaron Johnson calls the meeting to order at 4:21pm, and pulls up a grid on a screen in front of the room. They’re ready to start where they left off last time: definitions. (A “nursery” means no cannabis plants are allowed to flower; “canopy cover” can be determined by counting the number of plants, or using a Google Earth image to calculate square footage.)

They aren’t sure whether to recommend 5 acres as the minimum property size for a commercial grow, or 10 acres, wanting to avoid conflict with neighbors opposed to the smell.

“You can drive down Carmel Valley Road and open up your windows and smell it,” says Heidi Park of Heidromama, Inc., a Carmel Valley collective. (Eventually, they settle on 5 acres as the minimum lot size.)

The association expects to finish a comprehensive draft ordinance by mid-October and hand it over to county planners, who are at work on regulating medical cannabis in Monterey County. An ad hoc committee, including county supervisors John Phillips and Dave Potter, plus District Attorney Dean Flippo, Sheriff Steve Bernal, Planning Director Mike Novo, county attorneys and others, meets about every two to three weeks in closed meetings.

County supes voted to put a moratorium on cannabis-related business until July 2016, giving the ad hoc committee time to write an ordinance before an industry started springing up. Salinas City Council met Sept. 29 for a public discussion on what direction medical marijuana rules should take.

The local discussions come on the heels of three bills approved by the state Legislature last month. The three-bill package gives cities and counties until March 1, 2016, to write their own rules, or the state’s future policy will take effect. One bill, AB 266, sets up a state Bureau of Medical Marijuana Regulation to regulate cannabis.

“We’re very happy with the legislation,” Johnson announces to the association members. “The desire of the group really is to have legitimate businesses, without fear of prosecution.

“This is the end of Prohibition, like it was 50 years ago.” They see themselves as leading their industry out from the shadows. The group includes growers, retailers and manufacturers. One is extracting cannabis oils to make ointments, another blending pot leaves with tea leaves.

Novo expects county officials to be ready to begin a stakeholder process by the end of October, and he’s open to what Johnson’s group comes up with.

“We don’t know the ins and outs of the industry,” Novo says. “If we look at [their ordinance] and think it makes sense, it could have legs.”