Pubdate: Mon, 23 Mar 2015
Source: Salinas Californian, The (CA)
Copyright: 2015 The Salinas Californian
Contact: http://www.thecalifornian.com/section/CUSTOMERSERVICE03
Website: http://www.thecalifornian.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3900
Author: Jeff Mitchell

DRO DESERVES CREDIT FOR LEADING ON MEDICAL POT

On Saturday I wrote a news article on the status of Monterey County's 
only medical marijuana dispensary opening next month in Del Rey Oaks.

In my reporting, I got to know DRO Mayor Jerry Edelen a bit better 
and was impressed with the thought process he described as he went 
from no to yes on the issue of medical marijuana.

In Edelen you have a dyed-in-the-wool political conservative who 
listened carefully to friends and colleagues, then changed his mind 
and wasn't afraid to admit it. Pretty darned refreshing, I'd say.

Edelen learned first-hand from a Vietnam-era veteran friend suffering 
from a chronic illness that medical marijuana was the only thing that 
eased a lot of the vet's pain and suffering.

That leads me to what I want to say today in this column that I was 
restricted from saying in the report.

(By the way, it's important to note that I wear two hats here at The 
Californian. One is that of columnist where I combine my reporting 
with my opinion. The other that is that of reporter where I deliver 
just the facts of what happened at a council meeting or news event or 
from an investigative report that I have reported and researched.)

With that said, I think it's vitally important that Salinas get 
moving with the repeal of its existing 2007 prohibition on medical 
marijuana dispensaries and any kind of prohibition on the cultivation 
of said same.

When I was growing up in L.A., pot was still very much in its 
"infamous" stage and possession of a joint was a felony and that's 
pretty serious stuff.

Now don't get me wrong. I'm not endorsing using pot recreationally. 
That's a whole other matter and it's a matter of personal choice.

And just like with the consumption of alcohol, one should never, ever 
consume marijuana  medical or otherwise  and get behind the wheel of 
a car. It's stupid and it's dangerous. Drugged driving is just as bad 
as drunk driving.

But the year is 2015 and we know so much more about this ancient 
plant and its legitimate medicinal qualities now. For that reason not 
only should Salinas quickly repeal its existing prohibition but put 
into place a sensible ordinance that regulates where and how medical 
marijuana dispensaries can operate in town. Obviously, we don't want 
these places anywhere near schools or churches or parks.

But make no mistake, with one, possibly two statewide ballot measures 
coming in 2016 that will  if approved by the voters  completely 
legalize most forms of pot (just like Colorado and Washington), the 
city needs to have its regulatory act together in advance.

What I mean by that is that we carefully regulate where, when and how 
tobacco and alcohol products are sold in Salinas. We must do the same 
for marijuana.

And not only should Salinas issue the terms by which these 
dispensaries locate and operate, we should seriously consider 
applying special taxes to the sale of marijuana.

And already several cities in California have done just that. It just 
makes sense that a city with Salinas' money troubles pursue this. 
Currently, one Riverside County city applies a 15 percent special tax 
to all medical marijuana sales in its jurisdiction.

And now with real farmers openly approaching officials in cities like 
Greenfield in south county, Salinas also needs to contemplate 
assessing a per-square-foot cultivation tax as well.

I realize that there are folks out there who believe the legalization 
of this substance means our state and others like it will be going to 
heck in a hand basket. Though I can appreciate those positions, I 
think they are unfounded.

The trick to our society  our state, our county, our city 
successfully managing this substance is to get out in front, set 
limits and to educate. If we do that, we'll be fine and, at least in 
the short term, the city will enjoy extra added revenues.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom