Editor: Sonoma City Councilwoman Joanne Sanders certainly got it wrong when, in justification of her vote against medical marijuana dispensaries, she said, "I'm not going to vote for this. (Marijuana) is against the law. We should not encourage lawlessness." First of all, medical marijuana is not against the law. California's Prop. 215 has been the law for more than 12 years. Perhaps Ms. Sanders should study up on the law before making inaccurate statements about it. In addition, the establishment of dispensaries, if properly run, conforms to guidelines issued by the Attorney General of California. Thus, by erecting a framework for regulation of dispensaries, the city would be actually discouraging lawlessness, and encouraging lawfulness. John Malmo Sonoma [Editor's note: Medical marijuana is not recognized under federal law, and dispensaries in California have been subject to raid by federal law enforcement agencies, as recently as March of this year.] [end]
Sonoma Mayor Ken Brown momentarily stepped aside and Sonoma City Council member Joanne Sanders changed her vote Wednesday night, deadlocking the city council and effectively killing the ordinance that would have allowed a medical marijuana dispensary in Sonoma. As with previous hearings on the issue, council members Laurie Gallian and Steve Barbose were in support and August Sebastiani opposed it. Sanders, whose vote became critical after Brown announced he would not take part on the advice of counsel, had previously supported the ordinance. [continues 499 words]
Editor: Seeing politicians react to long overdue changes in marijuana laws convinces me that cannabis really does cause brain damage, but not in users. The people losing their minds are prohibitionists who cannot accept the fact that people are getting wise to the fact that marijuana prohibition is based on absurd fictions. Failing to perceive reality accurately and subscribing to patently false notions is not the sign of a well-balanced mind. [Planning commission chairman] Michael George's argument that "marijuana must be patented to be legal" is an example of serious confusion. Apparently, Mr. George has never heard of the market for unpatented herbs, which are completely legal. Floyd Krautner Bakersfield [end]
After a two-hour discussion of a draft ordinance establishing regulations for medical marijuana dispensaries in city limits, the Sonoma Planning Commission voted 6-1 to recommend that the Sonoma City Council adopt the ordinance. But there was not a lot of clarity on a number of points, left for the council to resolve, if it decides to move forward with the ordinance. Commission chair Michael George said, "It's a really complex issue. Part of me says that cannabis is not legal because nobody can patent it. In summarizing what I've learned, we need to form an opinion to recommend to council but we're shooting in the dark here. Is the area the city or the valley? What is the patient population? How will the operator answer questions?" [continues 691 words]
It is Friday evening, you are done with a hard week of work and you are looking to relax. You pull into the local liquor store and select your grade of marijuana from the list next to the counter. The clerk weighs out the buds, charges you $30 for an eighth of an ounce, and off you go. Fiction? Maybe not if AB 390 passes. Democratic State Assembly member Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco) introduced legislation last month that would legalize marijuana and allow the state to regulate and tax its sale. Ammiano says it could take up to a year before it comes to a vote for passage. [continues 1306 words]
It's not easy, being an elected official. May look like it is from the outside, as community members generally get worked up only about a single issue, one which looks to them both urgent and simple. But few issues are simple any longer, as one action may have ramifications reaching into wholly different issues. And even on a particular issue, there are the competing interests of government regulation vs. personal freedom, that is, when and how curtailing the free actions of individuals is in the public interest. More often than not, that's a difficult judgment call, and our representatives are quick to grasp, even if they had been aware of it intellectually, that, "You can't please all the people all the time." [continues 454 words]
An extensive report on regulations for a medical marijuana dispensary was presented by David Goodison, Sonoma City Planner. Concerns include adopting setbacks from schools and parks, maintaining security for the hash, limiting its potency, restricting the number of patients, and determining the agency in charge for reviewing applications and granting permits. John Sugg, who has operated a cannabis club dispensary in Santa Rosa for four years, voiced his concern on that latter issue. "Most of the ordinance is strong and necessary," he said. "But I have a concern with putting the police chief in charge of managing applications and granting permits. It makes more sense to have that be the city manager. Also, you must allow for plenty of parking because that's where the problems happen." [continues 190 words]
Medical marijuana may soon be another product you can buy locally - if you have a permit, that is. At Wednesday's meeting, the Sonoma City Council took further steps toward setting up a licensing system that would allow a medical marijuana dispensary to open in Sonoma. The license would be a one-year permit, renewable upon verification of compliance and revocable at any moment if holder is non-compliant. Dispensaries could not be located within 100 feet of single-family residences, schools and parks. Growing or consuming marijuana on-site would be prohibited and the city would have the authority to do a third-party audit. [continues 449 words]
