Last May, when two Santa Rosa men were arrested and accused of pistol whipping a Ukiah-area woman in her home and then robbed her of marijuana, Mendocino County experienced its third pot-related home invasion in just 37 days. In 2007, frightened and frustrated citizens throughout the county appeared repeatedly before the Board of Supervisors with disturbing stories and scary examples of what is happening in residential neighborhoods taken over by illegal large scale marijuana growers. "We are on the verge of an 1851 San Francisco post-gold rush," said Dennis Smart, a 30-plus-year resident of a rural area south of Ukiah, at the Dec. 11 Board of Supervisors' meeting. "Vigilante committees are forming. You folks sit on a powder keg. You have unleashed an ugly parasite on this county that we can't quite get a handle on anymore. [continues 2086 words]
The City Council will be considering possible adoption of an ordinance that would require medicinal marijuana dispensaries to obtain a regulatory permit and agree to certain operational restrictions. The ordinance would also define what constitutes a medical marijuana dispensary, add marijuana dispensaries as a conditional use in industrial zones, and define operational criteria for dispensaries. The ordinance will come before the council at the May 23 meeting and will come back to the council, if approved, at the June 13 meeting for final adoption. [continues 224 words]
The recent notification by police and action by Rite Aid management concerning the spike in sales of a particular form of dust removing spray has gotten local and national attention. According to police Lt. Floyd Higdon, many empty containers of a computer cleaning and dusting agent, made by Endust are being found in areas where officers commonly find empty beer and alcohol containers, such as local parks. Law enforcement officials believe that the product is being used for 'huffing," a process wherein a subject breathes the fumes of the product to achieve a feeling of euphoria, similar to that of alcohol or other narcotics. Officers have not encountered anyone actually abusing the product locally, said Higdon. [continues 794 words]
