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Medical marijuana dispensaries will continue to be prohibited in Murrieta for the next 12 months as a result of City Council members' unanimous vote this week to extend a moratorium.
The Tuesday night vote, which allows the city time to see what happens with various medical marijuana cases that are making their way though the legal system, came without much fanfare.
The only person who spoke against the extension was Donald Lambert, who frequently touts the benefits of medical marijuana at council meetings.
"There's a concern that patients with serious medical conditions who could benefit from medical use of cannabis do not have a safe and consistent source of the drug," Lambert told the council.
Mayor Doug McAllister said the potential benefit of medical marijuana is not what the vote was about.
"The issue before us is not the medicinal value. We are not doctors," he said. "The issue before us is, as a city, what is our fiduciary and legal responsibility until the rest of the government gets things figured out? We're in limbo and limbo is not a good place to be legally."
The moratorium could be extended once under state law, according to attorney Bob Mahlowitz, who has been advising the city on the issue.
Mahlowitz cited cases that have reached the state Supreme Court regarding dispensaries in Riverside and Lake Forest ---- one saying a city may ban such facilities and another saying a city may not.
"In the time that this moratorium has been in place, instead of getting clearer, the law has gotten more confused," Mahlowitz told the council.
California voters approved an initiative to legalize medical marijuana in 1996, although any use of marijuana remains illegal under federal law.
The state law allows municipalities to set their own restrictions on medical marijuana collectives.
Murrieta originally banned dispensaries in the city in March 2005, then last October replaced the ban with a year-long moratorium barring the facilities to allow city officials to rewrite the ordinance.
Cooperative Medical Group and Greenhouse Cannabis Club both operated for a time in the city in the last year, but now appear to be closed.
There was little discussion among council members before the vote.
News Hawk- TruthSeekr420 420 MAGAZINE
Source: nctimes.com
Author: Craig Shultz
Contact: Directory - North County Times/The Californian
Website: MURRIETA: Medical marijuana moratorium stays in place : Murrieta
The Tuesday night vote, which allows the city time to see what happens with various medical marijuana cases that are making their way though the legal system, came without much fanfare.
The only person who spoke against the extension was Donald Lambert, who frequently touts the benefits of medical marijuana at council meetings.
"There's a concern that patients with serious medical conditions who could benefit from medical use of cannabis do not have a safe and consistent source of the drug," Lambert told the council.
Mayor Doug McAllister said the potential benefit of medical marijuana is not what the vote was about.
"The issue before us is not the medicinal value. We are not doctors," he said. "The issue before us is, as a city, what is our fiduciary and legal responsibility until the rest of the government gets things figured out? We're in limbo and limbo is not a good place to be legally."
The moratorium could be extended once under state law, according to attorney Bob Mahlowitz, who has been advising the city on the issue.
Mahlowitz cited cases that have reached the state Supreme Court regarding dispensaries in Riverside and Lake Forest ---- one saying a city may ban such facilities and another saying a city may not.
"In the time that this moratorium has been in place, instead of getting clearer, the law has gotten more confused," Mahlowitz told the council.
California voters approved an initiative to legalize medical marijuana in 1996, although any use of marijuana remains illegal under federal law.
The state law allows municipalities to set their own restrictions on medical marijuana collectives.
Murrieta originally banned dispensaries in the city in March 2005, then last October replaced the ban with a year-long moratorium barring the facilities to allow city officials to rewrite the ordinance.
Cooperative Medical Group and Greenhouse Cannabis Club both operated for a time in the city in the last year, but now appear to be closed.
There was little discussion among council members before the vote.
News Hawk- TruthSeekr420 420 MAGAZINE
Source: nctimes.com
Author: Craig Shultz
Contact: Directory - North County Times/The Californian
Website: MURRIETA: Medical marijuana moratorium stays in place : Murrieta
