Pubdate: Sun, 24 Apr 2016
Source: Orange County Register, The (CA)
Copyright: 2016 The Orange County Register
Contact:  http://www.ocregister.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/321
Author: Erika I. Ritchie

LAGUNA BEACH PUTS MEDICAL MARIJUANA INITIATIVE ON NOVEMBER BALLOT

LAGUNA BEACH - Proponents of a voter-sponsored initiative calling for 
repeal of the city's ban on medical marijuana dispensaries say they 
expect a landslide win in November.

"I talked to almost everyone in that town, the city wants it," said 
Debbie Tharp, who with two Laguna Beach residents gathered 2,414 
signatures to qualify the initiative for the November ballot. "Eight 
out of 10 people I talked to, want it."

Last week, the City Council agreed that the initiative will go before 
voters. City officials now have to decide if they will put up a 
competing ballot measure or opt for different regulations. To that 
end, the council has asked Laguna Beach Police Chief Laura Farinella 
to look at the city's options. She is expected to report back at the 
May 10 council meeting.

The initiative - sponsored by Elizabeth Toomey and her nephew, Corey 
Aufhammer of Laguna Beach  is meant to make access to medical 
marijuana easier for residents who have legal rights to use it. The 
initiative calls for two dispensaries in the city's commercial zones.

The owners, operators and employees of the dispensaries would be 
vetted through background checks and other security measures, Tharp 
said. The dispensaries would be licensed to operate in either 
industrial or commercial areas and would be required to stay 1,000 
feet away from schools.

The only locations that could allow this would be along Laguna Canyon 
Road or on South Coast Highway.

With the low voter turnout in 2014, the number of signatures required 
for a ballot initiative is the lowest since 1982. Because of this, 
there are a number of voter initiatives on medical marijuana expected 
to make the November ballot.

Laguna Beach, much like other cities across the county in 2009, 
passed a ban on medical marijuana dispensaries. In 1996 the 
Compassionate Care Act was passed by voters. Laguna Beach voters 
supported that measure by 71 percent, while state approval was at 56 percent.

The City Council agreed to put the initiative on the November ballot, 
said City Attorney Phil Kohn.

When presented with an initiative petition bearing the necessary 
number of signatures, the council is required to take action to 
either adopt the measure or place it on the ballot, Kohn said.

Charnel James, an attorney in Marysville who is working with Tharp, 
said the Laguna Beach initiative is one of many statewide reactions 
to rolling bans against medical marijuana dispensaries.

"People are rejecting this and getting their own initiatives," she said.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom