Jim Finnel
Fallen Cannabis Warrior & Ex News Moderator
The subject of medical marijuana lit a fire under concerned citizens Tuesday night, bringing forth impassioned statements both for and against siting a dispensary in Dixon.
Following more than four hours of testimony and debate, the City Council finally came to a decision.
In a 3-2 vote, the council upheld the city's current ordinance, which bans the issuance of permits and licenses to such dispensaries hoping to operate within the city and surrounding areas. Councilman Dane Besneatte and Vice Mayor Michael Ceremello were the dissenters.
Originally discussed in 2004, an ordinance allowing the operation of medical marijuana dispensaries with a permit was subsequently passed. In 2009, that ordinance was overturned. In late 2010, the matter came back before the council.
Speaking on behalf of Solano County District Attorney Don DuBain on Tuesday, John Daugherty stated the office's stance on the matter.
"It is our belief that medical marijuana dispensaries are not lawful," the chief deputy district attorney said. Though the state provides for lawful means to get medical marijuana he explained, the DA's office does not consider "storefront" dispensaries to be legal.
Dr. Tamu Nolfo, a Sacramento resident with ties to Solano, said statistics show that as access to marijuana rises, so does youth marijuana usage. She also pointed out that lawful dispensaries generally do not profit from their services.
"So you can't really look at this as a revenue source for the community," she said.
For Bessie Miller, the city's 2010 recipient of the Living Legacy Award, the issue was one of community. Delivering a petition signed by more than 300 residents, she announced that it was "a simple showing that several of your citizens feel very strongly" about banning dispensaries.
"The signers are not just my family, my seniors, my friends, my neighbors," she said. "They are people from all over town."
Many more residents shared fears of increased crime and costs to combat that crime should such a facility be allowed within Dixon. Still others worried what would happen should the opposite occur.
Caleb Counts of Sacramento, who operates a similar dispensary in that jurisdiction, said more than 200 clients are from Dixon. A local dispensary, he added, would allow them easier access to medical marijuana.
Dixon resident Scott Pederson agreed.
Suffering from an aneurysm and a skull fracture, the 23-year-old emphasized that medical marijuana dulls his pain and keeps him from popping prescription pills such as oxycontin and morphine.
"You cannot eat, you cannot sleep, you're actually an empty shell," he said of the effects of the pills. The marijuana, he added, actually allows him to function normally.
The council also shared opposing views.
"The law is the law and the law in the state of California is that medical marijuana is allowed," stressed Besneatte.
Fellow Councilman Thom Bogue interpreted the law as one of choice.
"The law says we have a choice for whatever we want to do in our jurisdiction," he said.
Ceremello talked of freedom of choice.
"This isn't about the majority's ability to say that they can dictate what the minority can or can't do," he said. "That's what the Constitution was put in place to protect."
NewsHawk: Jim Behr: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: Reporter, The (Vacaville, CA)
Copyright: 2011 The Reporter
Contact: letters@thereporter.com
Website: Home - The Reporter
Details: MapInc
Author: Kimberly K. Fu
Following more than four hours of testimony and debate, the City Council finally came to a decision.
In a 3-2 vote, the council upheld the city's current ordinance, which bans the issuance of permits and licenses to such dispensaries hoping to operate within the city and surrounding areas. Councilman Dane Besneatte and Vice Mayor Michael Ceremello were the dissenters.
Originally discussed in 2004, an ordinance allowing the operation of medical marijuana dispensaries with a permit was subsequently passed. In 2009, that ordinance was overturned. In late 2010, the matter came back before the council.
Speaking on behalf of Solano County District Attorney Don DuBain on Tuesday, John Daugherty stated the office's stance on the matter.
"It is our belief that medical marijuana dispensaries are not lawful," the chief deputy district attorney said. Though the state provides for lawful means to get medical marijuana he explained, the DA's office does not consider "storefront" dispensaries to be legal.
Dr. Tamu Nolfo, a Sacramento resident with ties to Solano, said statistics show that as access to marijuana rises, so does youth marijuana usage. She also pointed out that lawful dispensaries generally do not profit from their services.
"So you can't really look at this as a revenue source for the community," she said.
For Bessie Miller, the city's 2010 recipient of the Living Legacy Award, the issue was one of community. Delivering a petition signed by more than 300 residents, she announced that it was "a simple showing that several of your citizens feel very strongly" about banning dispensaries.
"The signers are not just my family, my seniors, my friends, my neighbors," she said. "They are people from all over town."
Many more residents shared fears of increased crime and costs to combat that crime should such a facility be allowed within Dixon. Still others worried what would happen should the opposite occur.
Caleb Counts of Sacramento, who operates a similar dispensary in that jurisdiction, said more than 200 clients are from Dixon. A local dispensary, he added, would allow them easier access to medical marijuana.
Dixon resident Scott Pederson agreed.
Suffering from an aneurysm and a skull fracture, the 23-year-old emphasized that medical marijuana dulls his pain and keeps him from popping prescription pills such as oxycontin and morphine.
"You cannot eat, you cannot sleep, you're actually an empty shell," he said of the effects of the pills. The marijuana, he added, actually allows him to function normally.
The council also shared opposing views.
"The law is the law and the law in the state of California is that medical marijuana is allowed," stressed Besneatte.
Fellow Councilman Thom Bogue interpreted the law as one of choice.
"The law says we have a choice for whatever we want to do in our jurisdiction," he said.
Ceremello talked of freedom of choice.
"This isn't about the majority's ability to say that they can dictate what the minority can or can't do," he said. "That's what the Constitution was put in place to protect."
NewsHawk: Jim Behr: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: Reporter, The (Vacaville, CA)
Copyright: 2011 The Reporter
Contact: letters@thereporter.com
Website: Home - The Reporter
Details: MapInc
Author: Kimberly K. Fu
