Pubdate: Thu, 22 Jul 2010
Source: Los Angeles Times (CA)
Page: AA4
Copyright: 2010 Los Angeles Times
Contact: http://mapinc.org/url/bc7El3Yo
Website: http://www.latimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/248
Author: John Hoeffel, Reporting from Oakland
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?115 (Cannabis - California)

OAKLAND OKs PLAN FOR FOUR POT FACILITIES

The Ordinance Calls for the City to Closely Supervise the New Operations

Oakland's City Council approved an ordinance late Tuesday night that 
could make it the first city in the state to permit industrial 
marijuana production, a groundbreaking decision that is likely to 
spur the increased commercialization of a crop now largely grown in 
hidden gardens.

"This is a monumental step forward," said Dale Gieringer, an Oakland 
resident and the longtime head of California NORML, which backs the 
legalization of marijuana. "It really means moving into the era of 
industrial-scale operations, and Oakland means to do it big."

Oakland will award permits to allow four potentially enormous pot 
factories, which will operate under close city supervision. The plan 
puts Oakland at the forefront of California cities and counties that 
are weighing how to control marijuana cultivation. Berkeley, 
Oakland's neighbor, is the only other California city to take a 
similar step, asking voters in November to approve six industrial operations.

Oakland has long taken a cutting-edge approach to marijuana, but this 
ordinance is a leap into the unknown. The city's own attorney advised 
in a confidential memo that it was not legal under state law, and 
federal drug agents continue to bust growers despite the Obama 
administration's hands-off policy on medical marijuana.

The 5-2 vote came after two hours of testy debate between pot growers 
who argued that the proposal could destroy their livelihoods and 
would-be marijuana businessmen who said it could turn Oakland into 
the Silicon Valley of weed by creating a fertile environment for entrepreneurs.

The council decided to accommodate these growers, who supply some of 
the $28 million in marijuana sold in the city's four dispensaries, 
promising to develop a plan to include them before permits are 
awarded next year for the four large-scale operations.

Hundreds of applicants, from veteran growers to well-funded 
entrepreneurs with no previous interest in marijuana, are expected to 
compete for the four slots.

Jesse Lyons said he and some other medium-size growers are talking 
about banding together to apply for one of the permits. "We want to 
be as above-board as possible," he said. 
- ---
MAP posted-by: Richard Lake