Pubdate: Wed, 29 Sep 2010
Source: Santa Cruz Sentinel (CA)
Copyright: 2010 Santa Cruz Sentinel
Contact: http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/submitletters
Website: http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/394
Author: Kurtis Alexander
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?253 (Cannabis - Medicinal - U.S.)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?115 (Cannabis - California)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topic/dispensaries

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY SUPERVISORS AGREE TO ALLOW AND REGULATE MARIJUANA 
DISPENSARIES

SANTA CRUZ - The sale of medical marijuana is - technically - illegal 
in Santa Cruz County's unincorporated communities. The drug is banned 
by federal law, and county building codes don't permit dispensaries.

But since passage of the voter-approved California Compassionate Use 
Act and more recently the Obama administration's decision not to 
crack down on medicinal pot use, marijuana ventures have increasingly 
emerged across Santa Cruz. Nearly a half dozen dispensaries, from 
Soquel to Boulder Creek, sell to the public and many other businesses 
operate discretely in homes and garages.

On Tuesday, the county Board of Supervisors decided they could no 
longer turn a blind eye to the industry. By unanimous vote, they 
agreed to develop regulations that permit medical marijuana 
dispensaries, under tight controls, and in the meantime placed a 
moratorium on new shops until the rules are written and adopted.

"When I first got on the board 12 years ago, we fought this. I voted 
against it," said county Supervisor Tony Campos, noting his South 
County district's onetime aversion to the drug. "But now it's an 
about-face. We're thinking a little bit differently (about marijuana) today."

For the handful of dispensary operators and the dozens of marijuana 
users who showed up Tuesday to protect their interests, their future 
rests in the details of the county legislation. The pending rules, 
expected to be drafted by early November, will determine where the 
drug can be sold, where the marijuana can be grown and how it can be marketed.

The stakes are high, says Santa Cruz attorney Ben Rice who has 
followed marijuana law and the burgeoning industry. He notes there's 
a robust economy behind the local trade.

"I would be surprised if more money is going into artichokes and 
strawberries," he said. "If you pick up a tennis ball and throw it in 
Santa Cruz County, you have a significant chance of hitting a marijuana grow."

In November, California voters will decide whether to legalize 
marijuana for more than medical use, another potential bump for the industry.

The permitting and regulations being put in place by county 
supervisors only pertain to medical distribution.

Dispensary operators and their patients are so far reacting 
positively to the county's efforts.

"I'm looking forward to the dialogue to create regulations," said 
Jonathan Kolodinski, who opened a marijuana collective this summer in 
Soquel. His niche, at Creme De Cannna, is pot-laced ice cream.

Kolodinski joined other dispensary operators Tuesday in beginning to 
lobby for how the new rules should be designed. Among the concerns 
were having too many limits on locations, a ban on advertising and 
employee age restrictions.

County Supervisor John Leopold, who has led the charge for 
regulation, says the county has had the benefit of looking at 
ordinances in eight other counties and 37 cities, including the city 
of Santa Cruz, and seeing what works.

"We're not reinventing the wheel," he said, promising rules that will 
ensure access to the drug as well as accommodate potential public concerns.

Unlike the city of Santa Cruz, which limits the number of 
dispensaries to two, county supervisors do not envision a quota. They 
expect to require dispensaries to obtain a use permit and pay an 
annual fee, provide security at their facilities and perform regular 
safety tests of their products.

A less conventional provision that supervisors are considering is 
allowing low-income patients to receive the drug at a lower price or 
perhaps having a nonprofit distribute the drug to the needy.

Supervisors expect to consider draft regulation at their Nov. 9 meeting. 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake