Pubdate: Thu, 01 Nov 2007
Source: Santa Monica Mirror (CA)
Column: Publisher's Notebook
Copyright: 2007 Santa Monica Mirror
Contact:  http://www.smmirror.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/970
Author: Michael Rosenthal, Publisher
Note: Title by MAP, excerpt from longer column
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Marijuana - Medicinal)

REGULATE MEDICAL MARIJUANA FARMACIES

Santa Monica staff has prepared a report for the City Council in
regards to how to regulate medical marijuana farmacies. The report is
designed to provide guidance to the Council, as if this group of
conservative Neanderthals will ever take up the issue. There is NO
sign this Council will do the right thing and every sign that they
will continue to force Santa Monica residents to either buy their
medical marijuana through local drug dealers or go out of town for it.
Their main argument is that they are concerned about the element it
will bring to town; people who are just plain stressed out about life
in our modern urban society and need something natural to help them
relax instead of prescription Valium, Zanex, or Prozac. And people
like cancer patients, who need pain relief, or glaucoma patients who
would like to keep their eyesight. Where is the compassion of this
City Council for these people?

Instead, the city fathers will ask those people to deal with
underground dealers that may also be pushing heavier drugs - that IS
the wrong element. And the city can even benefit through taxation, as
legal farmacies pay a variety of normal business taxes. Many even join
the local chamber of commerce. Richard Bloom and Bob Holbrook are the
main stick-in-the-muds on this issue; the latter should recuse himself
because his work in mainstream pharmacies that stand to be hurt by
this competition puts him in a conflict of interest position. Mayor
Bloom stands steadfast against it despite the overwhelming voting
support for medical marijuana in Santa Monica. Who knows what gets
into people that makes them use their public office against the public
will.
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake