Pubdate: Sun, 1 Aug 2010 Source: Record Searchlight (Redding, CA) Copyright: 2010 Record Searchlight Contact: http://www.redding.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/360 Author: Scott Mobley, Record-Searchlight Cited: Proposition 19 http://www.taxcannabis.org/ Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topic/Proposition+19 IF STATE OKs POT, REDDING MIGHT NOT Redding will take a dry run Tuesday at whether the city will be a "dry" town should California voters legalize recreational marijuana use. Early indications are a council majority would not favor allowing recreational marijuana stores to crop up among the 19 heavily regulated medicinal cannabis clubs already operating within city limits. Police Chief Peter Hansen on Tuesday will urge the City Council to go on record opposing Prop. 19, the marijuana legalization initiative on the November ballot. Reached for comment Friday, most council members were leaning in favor of taking a stand against Prop. 19. "The city absolutely should come out against Prop. 19 for a variety of reasons," said council member Dick Dickerson, who has supported medicinal marijuana with restrictions. Council member Mary Stegall, who has also supported medicinal cannabis, has said she draws the line at legalizing recreational use. Mayor Patrick Jones has consistently opposed marijuana consumption of any kind, arguing it remains illegal under federal law despite California's Compassionate Use Act. Council member Rick Bosetti declined to comment Friday, saying he wanted to hear what Chief Hansen and others will say before considering whether the city should oppose Prop. 19. Vice Mayor Missy McArthur, who has favored taxing medicinal cannabis and recreational marijuana use, also said Friday she wants to hear what others say at the Tuesday meeting. Redding resident James Benno, who heads the Northern California chapter of NORML, has strongly criticized the city's medicinal cannabis regulations as too intrusive and restrictive. Benno was astounded Friday the council will consider a stand opposing Prop. 19. "They are violating patient's rights, and they are trying to blackball the legalization movement," Benno said. "They want to complain about how broke they are, and now they are turning their backs on a potential revenue source. We need a new council." The League of California Cities and the California Police Chiefs Association, among other state and local organizations, are encouraging cities to adopt resolutions against Prop. 19, according to a council report. The measure, if voters approve, would allow people 21 and older to possess up to an ounce of marijuana and grow up to 25 square feet of the plant for personal use. Prop. 19 would also allow cities and counties to tax and regulate the drug and the plant. Criminal and civil penalties against driving under the influence, selling drugs to minors and showing up to work stoned would apply under Prop. 19. But the resolution up for adoption Tuesday says public and private employers would have no recourse against workers using marijuana in the permitted manner. Prop. 19 may cost cities federal funds under the Federal Drug-Free Work Place Act of 1988, according to the council report. Local governments could ban recreational marijuana use outright, under the proposed law. Council members drew a sharp distinction between medicinal cannabis and recreational marijuana at a meeting July 20, when they declined to pursue a ballot measure taxing the herb. A council majority was unwilling to consider raising the gross receipts tax cannabis clubs, saying such a tax would hurt poorer people who may most need the medicine. Council members at that meeting decided to wait until after November to address how the city will deal with recreational marijuana use, should it become legal. [sidebar] IF YOU GO What: Redding City Council meeting. When: 4 p.m. Tuesday. Where: Council chambers, 777 Cypress Ave. Agenda includes: Oasis Road interchange, Prop. 19, landscape maintenance district fees. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake