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." - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D