Pubdate: Wed, 18 May 2016
Source: Press-Enterprise (Riverside, CA)
Copyright: 2016 The Press-Enterprise Company
Contact: http://www.pe.com/localnews/opinion/letters_form.html
Website: http://www.pe.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/830

S.B. NEEDS NEW APPROACH TO POT

Nearly two years ago, San Bernardino City Attorney Gary Saenz laid 
the foundation for a long-needed discussion about medical marijuana 
dispensaries in the bankrupt city.

The establishments, which are banned in the city, have nevertheless 
proliferated throughout San Bernardino, without regulations or 
controls. For years, the city has found itself in a high-cost, 
low-reward game of legal whack-a-mole, in which new dispensaries 
spring up whenever others are shut down.

Recognizing the "futility and high cost of attempting to completely 
eradicate marijuana dispensaries," as Mr. Saenz put it at the time, 
the City Council was finally set to discuss the issue a year and half 
ago before the item inexplicably was removed from the city's agenda.

Over the past month, the matter has finally been revived, thanks to 
the council's legislative review committee, chaired by Councilman 
John Valdivia and including Councilmen Henry Nickel and Benito Barrios.

So far, however, their proposals have been shot down by their 
colleagues. On May 2, a proposal to allow the group to go on a 
fact-finding trip to learn from other cities across the state was 
vetoed by Mayor Carey Davis, who argued there were more 
cost-effective means of gathering information.

On Monday, the council was set to discuss the issue and perhaps 
solicit the services of a polling firm to gauge public attitudes on 
regulating marijuana. But as soon as the subject came up for 
discussion, Councilman Fred Shorett, joined by James Mulvihill, 
Virginia Marquez and Bessine Richard, moved to table the agenda item.

Mr. Shorett argued it might be better to wait until voters in 
November weigh in on the statewide legalization of recreational 
marijuana, rather than conducting a poll.

For the sake of the city's finances, we hope city officials continue 
to at least discuss the issue. After all, as recently reported by the 
San Bernardino Sun, the recent closure of a dispensary on Kendall 
Drive cost taxpayers upward of $100,000 in personnel costs.

Rather than continuing to squander finite resources in a fruitless 
battle, the city ought to consider following the lead of cities like 
Palm Springs. Faced with a similar problem of uncontrolled 
dispensaries operating throughout the city, Palm Springs decided to 
allow a limited number of regulated, taxpaying dispensaries.

Ever since, the city has generated up to a million dollars in annual 
revenue, and the number of illegal dispensaries has plummeted.

Throughout its years in bankruptcy, San Bernardino has proven itself 
capable of reforming how it operates. This is an opportunity to stop 
wasting limited resources and perhaps make money for the city.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom