Robert Celt
New Member
The city of Merced appears to be a step closer to allowing medical marijuana dispensaries, though the fate of cannabis cultivation remains less clear, after a study session this week.
The City Council did not take any official vote on dispensaries Tuesday but asked city staff members to do further research and come back with a draft of an ordinance that would set the number of dispensaries in town and where they should be zoned. All six councilmen and the mayor voiced their support for dispensaries for people who need medical cannabis.
Their opinions did vary on whether to limit the number of dispensaries in town, and whether they should be located near medical offices or put at the edges of town in industrial zones.
The city's staff estimated they could bring the ordinance back to the council in late April and put the issue to bed by May.
The study session occasionally was tense, with people shouting from the audience or raising their voices while speaking at the microphone. Councilman Kevin Blake said he was puzzled at the adversarial nature of the meeting.
"I think this council has been receptive," he said. "We very genuinely want to know what works."
The council initially banned all sales and cultivation in January, looking to maintain local control of medical marijuana laws. At the time, members said they needed more information to determine how many dispensaries would be best for Merced, as well as whether users should be able to grow their own cannabis.
He recommended the council allow up to nine plants, or six mature and six immature. Those plants should have to remain out of sight, he said, to give "respect for neighbors," a common opinion among most of the council.
Unincorporated Merced County allows medical cannabis card-holders to have as many as 12 plants.
Councilman Michael Belluomini said he would prefer to not allow any cultivation. Medical marijuana users should obtain their medicine from a regulated dispensary, he said, which should be zoned like a medical office.
Dispensaries need to be far from the eyes of children, said Susan Bouscaren, president of Jack's Greenhouse Association, a delivery service co-op that serves the Merced area.
"I think that's important," she said.
The council and members of the public could not come to an agreement on how much product comes from plants grown at home, a fact that will play into how many plants a person needs.
Dr. Lakisha Jenkins, owner of Kiona's Farm'acy in downtown Merced, said the regulations for dispensaries and cultivation should be an easy transition for Merced because the state attorney general set up guidelines in 2008.
"It's not like we have to reinvent the wheel," she said.
Mayor Stan Thurston said he supports dispensaries, but wants to know how much the city can regulate types of cannabis. He said he would support dispensaries that offer products high in CBD, the ingredient most often said to have healing properties, and low in THC, the part of the plant that makes users feel stoned.
"There's too many people with medical marijuana cards just to smoke marijuana," he said. "I don't think the city should be an enabler."
There remain a number of questions, which city staffers said they will look to answer at a special meeting to be scheduled in the future.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Merced, California A Step Closer To Allowing Medical Cannabis
Author: Thaddeus Miller
Contact: Merced Sun-Star
Photo Credit: Thaddeus Miller
Website: Merced Sun-Star
The City Council did not take any official vote on dispensaries Tuesday but asked city staff members to do further research and come back with a draft of an ordinance that would set the number of dispensaries in town and where they should be zoned. All six councilmen and the mayor voiced their support for dispensaries for people who need medical cannabis.
Their opinions did vary on whether to limit the number of dispensaries in town, and whether they should be located near medical offices or put at the edges of town in industrial zones.
The city's staff estimated they could bring the ordinance back to the council in late April and put the issue to bed by May.
The study session occasionally was tense, with people shouting from the audience or raising their voices while speaking at the microphone. Councilman Kevin Blake said he was puzzled at the adversarial nature of the meeting.
"I think this council has been receptive," he said. "We very genuinely want to know what works."
The council initially banned all sales and cultivation in January, looking to maintain local control of medical marijuana laws. At the time, members said they needed more information to determine how many dispensaries would be best for Merced, as well as whether users should be able to grow their own cannabis.
He recommended the council allow up to nine plants, or six mature and six immature. Those plants should have to remain out of sight, he said, to give "respect for neighbors," a common opinion among most of the council.
Unincorporated Merced County allows medical cannabis card-holders to have as many as 12 plants.
Councilman Michael Belluomini said he would prefer to not allow any cultivation. Medical marijuana users should obtain their medicine from a regulated dispensary, he said, which should be zoned like a medical office.
Dispensaries need to be far from the eyes of children, said Susan Bouscaren, president of Jack's Greenhouse Association, a delivery service co-op that serves the Merced area.
"I think that's important," she said.
The council and members of the public could not come to an agreement on how much product comes from plants grown at home, a fact that will play into how many plants a person needs.
Dr. Lakisha Jenkins, owner of Kiona's Farm'acy in downtown Merced, said the regulations for dispensaries and cultivation should be an easy transition for Merced because the state attorney general set up guidelines in 2008.
"It's not like we have to reinvent the wheel," she said.
Mayor Stan Thurston said he supports dispensaries, but wants to know how much the city can regulate types of cannabis. He said he would support dispensaries that offer products high in CBD, the ingredient most often said to have healing properties, and low in THC, the part of the plant that makes users feel stoned.
"There's too many people with medical marijuana cards just to smoke marijuana," he said. "I don't think the city should be an enabler."
There remain a number of questions, which city staffers said they will look to answer at a special meeting to be scheduled in the future.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Merced, California A Step Closer To Allowing Medical Cannabis
Author: Thaddeus Miller
Contact: Merced Sun-Star
Photo Credit: Thaddeus Miller
Website: Merced Sun-Star
