To a visitor, the street appears so very normal. Tidy home after tidy home. There's the sense that nothing exciting ever happens here. But wait. What's that smell? It's more than funky. More like stinky. Clearly, something mighty peculiar is going on. A homeowner on this street -- let's call him Tom -- called me at the paper last month and introduced himself. He asked if I would pay him a visit. "You don't drive a marked car, do you," he said. [continues 767 words]
District Attorney Gary Lieberstein surprised the Napa City Council Tuesday with a last-minute appeal that it not pass an ordinance authorizing a medical marijuana dispensary. "I believe we're asking for problems enacting this as presently written," said Lieberstein, who is nominally the county's top lawman. Lieberstein's opposition, which he compared to someone jumping up at a wedding ceremony to block nuptials, caught the council off guard. The city had conducted eight public meetings over the past year as it prepared to legalize a medical pot dispensary, but had never heard from Lieberstein until Tuesday as it prepared to give the authorizing ordinance a second reading. [continues 613 words]
Napa will become the first city in Napa County to allow medical marijuana dispensaries for patients with authorizations from medical doctors. After seven months of hearings dominated by passionate testimonials about the medicinal benefits of pot, the City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to make medical pot available to residents. Council members asserted that well-regulated dispensaries can provide a service to people with medical needs without becoming a blight on the city. It could be as much as a year before the city issues a permit for its first dispensary. In coming months, the city will hold a competition to select a non-profit group to apply for a permit. [continues 544 words]
After nine months of public hearings and staff analysis, an ordinance allowing medical marijuana dispensaries in the city of Napa will come before the City Council Tuesday night. The council will hold a public hearing at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall on an ordinance that would set tight rule for allowing one marijuana dispensary in the coming year, with the prospect of a second clinic later. Last September, the council unanimously directed staff to prepare a medical marijuana ordinance after hearing testimony from locals who said cannabis helped them in ways that regular pharmaceuticals could not. [continues 237 words]
Commission Voted 3-2 Thursday to Support Allowing Pot Clinics in Office Zones Napa's plan to authorize only one medical marijuana dispensary struck three planning commissioners as perhaps not enough. For two commissioners, even one would be too many. The Planning Commission voted 3-2 Thursday night to support a zoning change that would allow pot clinics in office zones. The City Council will be the final word on this. A majority of commissioners supported the council's decision to allow medical marijuana dispensaries under highly regulated conditions. [continues 524 words]
Napa's plan to authorize only one medical marijuana dispensary struck several planning commissioners as perhaps not enough. For two commissioners, even one would be too many. The Planning Commission voted 3-2 Thursday night to support a zoning change that would allow pot clinics in office zones. The City Council will be the final word on this. A majority of commissioners supported the council's decision to allow medical marijuana dispensaries under highly regulated conditions. "The words 'Napa' and 'progressive' usually don't go together," said Commissioner Gordon Huether, who approved of the city's new direction. [continues 258 words]
The Napa City Council's plan for medical marijuana dispensaries was attacked by some cannabis advocates Tuesday night as too conservative, provoking an angry response from Councilwoman Juliana Inman. Advocates, including many who plan to compete for a city permit, criticized a proposal that would allow only one dispensary the first year, cap the number of patients at about 7,500 and tightly restrict the amount grown in homes. The city doesn't limit the number of pharmacies or other businesses or tell medical doctors how many patients they can treat, the advocates said. [continues 547 words]
Napa's experiment with medical marijuana dispensaries should start small, with a single, heavily regulated clinic, the Napa City Council said Tuesday night. If the first dispensary works out, the city will consider allowing a second operation a year later. Since these clinics will be dispensing cannabis under a physician's orders, the council said they belong in medical office districts. The city will prohibit storefront operations. Members of the dispensary's marijuana collective will be encouraged to grow their plants in warehouses in the city's industrial zones, rather than in other areas or settings. Houses devoted to marijuana cultivation will be prohibited. [continues 602 words]
As City Considers Medical Marijuana; Sebastopol Shows How It Is Done These are tough times in Sebastopol. Two auto dealers have closed. Plants that once processed Gravenstein apples sit empty. Amid this economic wreckage, Peace in Medicine is a roaring success. Opening in 2007, Peace in Medicine will reach 10,000 customers and generate $5 million in revenues this year, requiring the opening of a second storefront. What is Peace in Medicine selling that the public is clamoring to buy? Medical marijuana. [continues 1686 words]
The Napa City Council reaffirmed its intent Tuesday night to proceed cautiously in drafting an ordinance that would allow medical marijuana clinics. Despite public pleas to proceed quickly, council members said they would not be rushed to craft regulations in less than the nine months required by staff. The council unanimously approved an ordinance that prohibits cannabis clinics until a tight set of rules are in place. Only then would the city process applications. "Before I stick my head in the mouth of the lion, I just want to make sure we've got it right," Councilman Jim Krider said. "Nine months to get it right is to me worth it," Councilman Mark van Gorder said. [continues 184 words]
