MedicalNeed
New Member
A new ordinance that would lift the ban on medical marijuana dispensaries in Mountain View may come into effect as early as the first quarter of 2011, if approved by the City Council.
City Attorney Jannie L. Quinn, Assistant City Attorney Krishan Chopra and Mountain View Police Department Lt. Derek Sousa listened and recorded the views of residents on medical marijuana dispensaries–and their regulation.
The community outreach meeting on Thursday was part of the efforts by the City Council to explore regulatory options to be included in the preliminary draft ordinance. The city ordinance that banned such dispensaries will expire on Apr. 8, 2011, unless it's extended.
"There is a wide variety of regulatory topics we are looking at that need to be part of the (new) ordinance," Chopra said during last week's meeting in City Hall. "There will be consideration of these issues by the environmental planning commission in January and then by the City Council in February."
A new ordinance, if approved by the council, would be effective within 30 days after the second reading, ending the existing ban.
While most residents spoke in support of medical marijuana dispensaries, many emphasized the importance of having a strong regulatory system in place at the dispensaries.
Security also needs to be addressed, they agreed–specifically site-specific security, the use of security cameras, elaborate surveillance, secure handling of cash and banking, detailed record keeping and secure on-site storage for medical marijuana.
"From the police department's perspective, we are truly asking for public input on what should go into the security plan," said Sousa. "We are here to listen."
A member of the public commented that as far as crime was concerned, both the Los Angeles and San Francisco police chiefs have said that medical marijuana dispensaries did not correlate with any increase in crime rates.
However, a staff report released by Mountain View's city attorney's office last February noted that the California Police Chiefs Association found "negative secondary effects associated with medical marijuana dispensaries."
The city attorney's office is in the early stage of drafting the ordinance, which also has to be approved by the police on a site-specific basis.
Many cities have limited the number of dispensaries allowed, Chopra said, either with a straight cap or zoning regulations.
"We are still exploring all those options," he said.
Questions at the meeting arose about membership restrictions. Chopra noted that membership could be limited to just Mountain View residents.
"We are now studying whether membership restrictions would make sense for dispensaries," he said.
Another point of discussion was whether there should be a requirement that the marijuana is to be cultivated at the dispensaries or elsewhere, such as at individual homes.
"It is a difficult issue," Chopra said, "because state law has no exclusive provision governing how dispensaries must approach this. We are struggling with this a little bit."
Another problematic issue from a regulatory standpoint is delivery–person-to-person delivery versus larger-scale delivery services.
"We are currently researching this issue," he said, "as state law doesn't provide much guidance on how delivery should be regulated."
NewsHawk: MedicalNeed: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: mountainview.patch.com
Author: Rajeev Poduval
Contact: Mountain View, CA Patch - News, Sports, Events, Businesses & Deals
Copyright:2010 Patch
Website:Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Possible Here - Mountain View, CA Patch
City Attorney Jannie L. Quinn, Assistant City Attorney Krishan Chopra and Mountain View Police Department Lt. Derek Sousa listened and recorded the views of residents on medical marijuana dispensaries–and their regulation.
The community outreach meeting on Thursday was part of the efforts by the City Council to explore regulatory options to be included in the preliminary draft ordinance. The city ordinance that banned such dispensaries will expire on Apr. 8, 2011, unless it's extended.
"There is a wide variety of regulatory topics we are looking at that need to be part of the (new) ordinance," Chopra said during last week's meeting in City Hall. "There will be consideration of these issues by the environmental planning commission in January and then by the City Council in February."
A new ordinance, if approved by the council, would be effective within 30 days after the second reading, ending the existing ban.
While most residents spoke in support of medical marijuana dispensaries, many emphasized the importance of having a strong regulatory system in place at the dispensaries.
Security also needs to be addressed, they agreed–specifically site-specific security, the use of security cameras, elaborate surveillance, secure handling of cash and banking, detailed record keeping and secure on-site storage for medical marijuana.
"From the police department's perspective, we are truly asking for public input on what should go into the security plan," said Sousa. "We are here to listen."
A member of the public commented that as far as crime was concerned, both the Los Angeles and San Francisco police chiefs have said that medical marijuana dispensaries did not correlate with any increase in crime rates.
However, a staff report released by Mountain View's city attorney's office last February noted that the California Police Chiefs Association found "negative secondary effects associated with medical marijuana dispensaries."
The city attorney's office is in the early stage of drafting the ordinance, which also has to be approved by the police on a site-specific basis.
Many cities have limited the number of dispensaries allowed, Chopra said, either with a straight cap or zoning regulations.
"We are still exploring all those options," he said.
Questions at the meeting arose about membership restrictions. Chopra noted that membership could be limited to just Mountain View residents.
"We are now studying whether membership restrictions would make sense for dispensaries," he said.
Another point of discussion was whether there should be a requirement that the marijuana is to be cultivated at the dispensaries or elsewhere, such as at individual homes.
"It is a difficult issue," Chopra said, "because state law has no exclusive provision governing how dispensaries must approach this. We are struggling with this a little bit."
Another problematic issue from a regulatory standpoint is delivery–person-to-person delivery versus larger-scale delivery services.
"We are currently researching this issue," he said, "as state law doesn't provide much guidance on how delivery should be regulated."
NewsHawk: MedicalNeed: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: mountainview.patch.com
Author: Rajeev Poduval
Contact: Mountain View, CA Patch - News, Sports, Events, Businesses & Deals
Copyright:2010 Patch
Website:Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Possible Here - Mountain View, CA Patch
