Pubdate: Fri, 05 Nov 2010
Source: Times-Standard (Eureka, CA)
Copyright: 2010 Times-Standard
Contact: http://www.times-standard.com/writeus
Website: http://www.times-standard.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1051
Author: Allison White

WORKSHOP FIELDS BUSINESS QUESTIONS ON EUREKA MEDICAL MARIJUANA ORDINANCE

About 50 people interested in learning what it will take to open a
commercial medical marijuana facility in Eureka went to City Hall on
Thursday to get their questions answered.

Community Development Director Sidnie Olson, Councilman Jeff Leonard
and Medical Cannabis Selection Sub-Committee member Paul Hagen hosted
the workshop. Their goal was to set up potential business owners for
success in applying for a conditional use permit to open a medical
marijuana dispensary or production facility within the city.

The Eureka City Council passed a medical marijuana ordinance that went
into effect Sept. 3, allowing a limited number of medical marijuana
dispensaries and processing facilities to open in the city. Modeled
after Arcata's ordinance, it implements a land-use based approach that
also regulates personal patient gardens.

Many in the audience Thursday hailed the ordinance as progressive,
making Eureka a state leader in the process.

Leonard said the city's ordinance seems all the more timely with the
failure of California's Proposition 19, which would have legalized
marijuana for recreational use but failed during Tuesday's election.

"This is the path we're going to be on for a while, I think," Leonard
said.

As there are only six conditional use permits available in Eureka, the
council-appointed selection committee crafted a request for
qualifications, or list of desired criteria, for those looking to open
a commercial medical cannabis facility.

Four of those permits will be for processing and cultivation
facilities, each of which can have two dispensaries, one being at the
production site. The other two permits would be for dispensaries that
stock cannabis not processed or grown in Eureka. Leonard, Hagen and
Councilman Larry Glass will review proposals submitted by Dec. 3, pick
as many as six proposals to present to the council and then invite
those respondents to apply for the required conditional use permit.

The workshop hosts fielded many questions about the ordinance and the
request for qualifications. It was clarified that businesses related
to medical marijuana but that did not sell or produce it, such as a
laboratory or a business office, would not need the conditional use
permit.

In answer to a number of questions, Hagen pointed out that this is
just a land-use issue. Concerns of legality in transportation, the
jurisdiction of other governmental agencies and other such issues
could not be addressed by this process.

On the topic of location, a specific site was not needed to respond to
the selection committee. Although a list of prospects could be
helpful, a location would only be needed for the next step in applying
for the conditional use permit, Leonard said.

Hagen said, the selection committee will be focusing on how viable the
business plan is for Eureka, and how to make sure that the plan will
not create many community complaints.

"We're looking for people that will run this type of business in a
responsible manner," he said.

Olson added that this ordinance was not set in stone. "This is all new
to us," and changes will likely be made in the future to adjust for
needs and concerns that arise, Olson said.

Humboldt Patient Resource Center Director Mariellen Jurkovich said she
would like to open up a facility in Eureka, as patients at her Arcata
facility have requested it. They have already proven they can run a
successful business, and she appreciates the friendly and pro-active
manner in which Eureka has approached the process.

"We are really on the cutting edge of the state here," she
said.

She requested clarification on the patient number estimates, stating
she keeps track of how many people come into her facility in Arcata.
The number of people per day is only a fraction of the total number of
patients, making it a different process to calculate the number of
parking spaces needed, Jurkovich said.

Carlotta resident Tim Jordan came to the workshop to learn about the
process and see the opportunities available -- he said he knows a
number of people in various aspects of the industry and wanted to know
what the future of it looked like in Eureka. Marijuana is "pervasive
in the culture" of this area, and he asked city representatives if a
cafe-style facility was allowed. He said he was interested, as
Portland, Ore., has a thriving coffee shop scene.

Olson looked it up in the ordinance -- it states that consumption of
medical marijuana by patients at the commercial site is not allowed
unless specified in the conditional use permit, so it was not ruled
out.

For information on the request for qualifications or on the city's
ordinance, contact Olson at 441-4265 or  To
view the request for qualifications, visit www.ci.eureka.ca.gov .  
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D