Pubdate: Wed, 09 Dec 2009
Source: San Diego Union Tribune (CA)
Copyright: 2009 Union-Tribune Publishing Co.
Contact:  http://www.signonsandiego.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/386
Note: Seldom prints LTEs from outside it's circulation area.
Author: Eleanor Yang Su
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal)

MEDICAL POT DISPENSARIES ARE DEBATED

A debate over how to regulate San Diego's medical  marijuana
dispensaries yesterday morphed into a  discussion about whether the
storefronts should be  allowed to operate in the city.

More than 25 community activists addressed the San  Diego City Council
as it heard the recommendations of a  city-appointed task force on
how, where and when  dispensaries can operate.

After hearing an hour of public comment and posing a  handful of
questions about the regulations, the council  decided to postpone
discussion on the matter until Jan.  4.

The majority of the speakers urged the council to  reject the
recommendations and either ban dispensaries  or place a moratorium on
them.

"As a mother of two teenagers, I'm horrified my  children are seeing
these shops every day," said Marcie  Beckett, a homemaker in Pacific
Beach. "The police say  these shops are illegal. The state Attorney
General  says these shops are illegal because they're selling at  a
profitaE& Over 200 cities and counties have already  said no to these
shops, and we can too."

California voters legalized the use of medical  marijuana by seriously
ill patients in 1996 with  Proposition 215. However, the vagueness of
state  statutes and the fact that the drug is still illegal  under
federal law have prompted cities across the state  to take very
different approaches in regulating its  use. Several cities in San
Diego County have banned  dispensaries, including Escondido and El
Cajon. If the  City of San Diego approves a city ordinance regulating
dispensaries, it would be the first in the county to do  so.

Eleven of the 27 speakers pushed the council to adopt  the
recommendations, saying the proposed regulations  would help ensure
stores are run lawfully.

"People using medical marijuana want reasonable, real  rules, and
that's what the task force has come forward  with," said Crickett
Bradburn of Pacific Beach. "This  is a responsible way of dealing with
the stores."

The task force recommendations would require  dispensaries to file for
city permits. Storefronts  would only be allowed in commercial and
industrial  zones, and would need to be at least 1,000 feet from
schools and libraries, and 500 feet from other  dispensaries.
Operating hours would be limited to 7  a.m. to 9 p.m., and
dispensaries would need to have  security cameras and a licensed guard
when open. They  would also need to file paperwork with the city
showing  plans to operate as a nonprofit.

Alex Kreit, a Thomas Jefferson School of Law professor  and chairman
of the city's medical marijuana task  force, characterized the
opponents as "a small but  vocal minority" that is misinformed about
state law.

He pointed to a recent poll by Competitive Edge  Research &
Communication that showed that only 9  percent of respondents support
banning dispensaries in  the city.

"Their beef is with state law, but they're stuck with  the state law,
which says the co-ops and collectives  are legal if they abide by
regulations," Kreit said.  "There's no doubt in my mind that if San
Diego were to  ban the collectives, they'd face legal challenges." 
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