Pubdate: Tue, 14 Jan 2014
Source: San Jose Mercury News (CA)
Copyright: 2014 San Jose Mercury News
Contact:  http://www.mercurynews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/390
Author: Mike Rosenberg
Page: B3

GROUP FILES INITIATIVE FOR POT CLUBS IN S. J.

SAN JOSE - Medical marijuana supporters on Monday fi led an initiative
that would ask voters to keep pot shops open in most of San Jose,
fighting back against city leaders who are trying to close the stores.

Dispensary owners will soon begin collecting signatures to get the
measure on the November ballot - a pre-emptive strike to pressure the
City Council against enacting sweeping new rules on pot shops.

Facing a growing outcry over public safety, the city last month began
sending letters to dispensaries near homes, ordering them to "cease
operations" or face big fines and potentially criminal prosecution.
Now, the council is set to vote on banning pot shops in more than 99
percent of the city, prohibiting them from operating anywhere near
homes, schools, churches and other similar places.

The weed group's initiative, however, would establish a "minimum" of
50 medical marijuana stores in the city, keep all current dispensaries
in business and only prevent new shops from opening within 1,000 feet
of a school. Even kids would be able to toke up under "rare cases"
where a physician approves.

It also establishes a taxpayer funded bureaucrat to oversee a new 11-
member "cannabis commission."

"This will create a regulatory body to insure the clubs operate
properly and address any concerns and impacts to the community," said
Dave Hodges, founder of the All American Cannabis Club. Otherwise, it
will be "more chaos - the continued wild west of the city of San Jose
and probably more underground black market activity."

Hodges said he hopes the council will simply enact their measure when
they vote on the regulations in March to avoid a fight at the ballot
box. That strategy worked in 2011, when the council backed off new
rules limiting pot shops after the cannabis group gathered enough
signatures to put a referendum on the ballot.

But now eight council members are running for office in June -
including five council members vying to replace termed-out Mayor
Chuck Reed - and are jostling to prove they are tough on crime, making
them leery of allowing pot shops to proliferate. Councilwoman and
mayoral candidate Rose Herrera, in particular, is leading the charge
among a council minority to eradicate dispensaries altogether, saying
they are providing drugs to local teens and draining police resources.

San Jose currently has about 80 dispensaries.

The Silicon Valley Cannabis Coalition filed a "notice of intent' for
the measure with the City Clerk's office Monday. They have until May
16 to collect 20,372 signatures to qualify the measure for the ballot.
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MAP posted-by: Matt