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A medical marijuana dispensary at the center of a legal battle with Rancho Mirage failed to open as planned Monday.
Officials with Rancho Mirage Safe Access Wellness Center, which has been closed since Aug. 6, now hope to reopen by the end of this week.
General Manager Alice Jensen blamed the delay on a stocking issue.
"It was just taking a little longer to get the medicine," she told The Desert Sun.
Rancho Mirage Safe Access Wellness Center, incorporated as All Patients Desert Cooperative, is on a prime stretch of Highway 111 in Rancho Mirage.
Code enforcement officials denied the certificate of occupancy, saying the dispensary lacked handicapped parking and other proper access for the disabled.
The city took the dispensary to court for operating without a license. But the dispensary won the latest legal battle.
Just last week, a Riverside County Superior Court judge gave Safe Access 90 days to correct any deficiencies under local or state safety regulations, "except as it relates to a certificate of occupancy or a business license."
"They've been authorized to reopen since last week. They just have to restock," said the dispensary's attorney, Joseph Rhea.
"They have an absolute right to reopen."
After last week's ruling, Jensen told The Desert Sun the dispensary was planning a grand opening celebration for Monday morning.
Part-time Palm Desert resident James Slatic showed up to congratulate them and get medicine – and instead found locked doors and an empty parking lot.
The 53-year-old has been using medical marijuana for three years to treat pain from his surgically repaired back. He's also a self-described activist for making the medicine more widely available.
"It's very, very hard for people that have these places," Slatic said of the legal battles they face to stay open.
"It may be Rancho Mirage Safe Access, but today it is Rancho Mirage no access."
Palm Springs is the only valley city that permits storefront dispensaries. The city has limited it to four locations.
Unauthorized dispensaries also have popped up throughout Riverside County.
The Rancho Mirage City Council last year voted to ban such dispensaries.
The ban was tossed by a superior court judge in a separate court case. The state Supreme Court is expected to decide by next year whether cities can issue such bans.
Rancho Mirage Safe Access dispensary had helped about 600 patients since opening in June.
While dispensary officials plan another reopening, city officials are considering their next steps.
A special council meeting is scheduled for today to determine whether to appeal last week's court ruling for Safe Access, or even have the case moved to federal court.
News Hawk- TruthSeekr420 420 MAGAZINE
Source: mydesert.com
Author: Erica Felci
Contact: Feedback | The Desert Sun | mydesert.com
Website: The Desert Sun | Palm Springs and Coachella Valley news
Officials with Rancho Mirage Safe Access Wellness Center, which has been closed since Aug. 6, now hope to reopen by the end of this week.
General Manager Alice Jensen blamed the delay on a stocking issue.
"It was just taking a little longer to get the medicine," she told The Desert Sun.
Rancho Mirage Safe Access Wellness Center, incorporated as All Patients Desert Cooperative, is on a prime stretch of Highway 111 in Rancho Mirage.
Code enforcement officials denied the certificate of occupancy, saying the dispensary lacked handicapped parking and other proper access for the disabled.
The city took the dispensary to court for operating without a license. But the dispensary won the latest legal battle.
Just last week, a Riverside County Superior Court judge gave Safe Access 90 days to correct any deficiencies under local or state safety regulations, "except as it relates to a certificate of occupancy or a business license."
"They've been authorized to reopen since last week. They just have to restock," said the dispensary's attorney, Joseph Rhea.
"They have an absolute right to reopen."
After last week's ruling, Jensen told The Desert Sun the dispensary was planning a grand opening celebration for Monday morning.
Part-time Palm Desert resident James Slatic showed up to congratulate them and get medicine – and instead found locked doors and an empty parking lot.
The 53-year-old has been using medical marijuana for three years to treat pain from his surgically repaired back. He's also a self-described activist for making the medicine more widely available.
"It's very, very hard for people that have these places," Slatic said of the legal battles they face to stay open.
"It may be Rancho Mirage Safe Access, but today it is Rancho Mirage no access."
Palm Springs is the only valley city that permits storefront dispensaries. The city has limited it to four locations.
Unauthorized dispensaries also have popped up throughout Riverside County.
The Rancho Mirage City Council last year voted to ban such dispensaries.
The ban was tossed by a superior court judge in a separate court case. The state Supreme Court is expected to decide by next year whether cities can issue such bans.
Rancho Mirage Safe Access dispensary had helped about 600 patients since opening in June.
While dispensary officials plan another reopening, city officials are considering their next steps.
A special council meeting is scheduled for today to determine whether to appeal last week's court ruling for Safe Access, or even have the case moved to federal court.
News Hawk- TruthSeekr420 420 MAGAZINE
Source: mydesert.com
Author: Erica Felci
Contact: Feedback | The Desert Sun | mydesert.com
Website: The Desert Sun | Palm Springs and Coachella Valley news
