Jim Finnel
Fallen Cannabis Warrior & Ex News Moderator
Officials in Sacramento are a bit dazed and confused over all the medicinal marijuana shops that have popped up in the city.
While the estimates of how many facilities are now open in the city range from 15 to 28, the number has clearly grown in recent months, both council members and marijuana advocates say.
As a result, the city is considering whether it's time to place a temporary moratorium on the facilities while stricter regulations are put in place.
"It's not that we don't want any marijuana dispensaries," said Councilman Steve Cohn, whose district covering midtown and east Sacramento has seen as many as 10 of the shops open in recent months. "What it means is, we already have quite a few in the city, and we want to take a timeout and see where we're at."
Cohn said the number of clinics in the city has ballooned since the Obama administration said earlier this year that it would honor state laws regulating medicinal pot and stop raids on dispensaries. That represents a shift from Bush administration policy, which ordered raids of the facilities even in states that allowed for medicinal marijuana use.
In California, the medicinal use of marijuana has been legal since voters passed Proposition 215 in 1996.
For many years, roughly five dispensaries operated in the city of Sacramento. In the past six months, however, the number has spiked to more than 20, estimated Lanette Davies, Sacramento coordinator for Americans for Safe Access, a nonprofit organization that lobbies for medicinal marijuana patients.
"We don't want an unruly group opening up all across the city; we want safe access for patients," Davies said. "When they open, we want to know they're doing the right thing. One bad apple can make the whole group look bad."
The City Council may discuss the moratorium as early as June 2. If a cap is placed on new facilities, the city would likely draft an ordinance restricting where the dispensaries can operate and what they can sell.
Under current code, the city refuses to issue business licenses to the facilities. At the same time, there is nothing in the zoning ordinances that outlaws them.
Some dispensaries tell the city they are selling alternative, herbal or natural medicine, Davies said.
No official record is kept in the city of how many dispensaries exist, and the Police Department often does not discover new facilities until they are victims of a crime or a neighbor complains.
"It's one of those gray areas, and we want to make sure we have clear-cut rules on where these businesses can go and the conditions under which they can operate," Cohn said.
The increase in marijuana dispensaries has sparked the talk of a moratorium.
"It hasn't been high on the list," Councilwoman Sandy Sheedy said. "We've been looking at gangs, we've been looking at crime and at the economy. This doesn't rise to the level of that."
Dale Gieringer, one of the authors of Proposition 215 and the state coordinator for the National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws, or NORML, a nonprofit organization that lobbies for the legalization of marijuana, said cities often turn to moratoriums when the number of dispensaries hits a high number.
"When you reach a point like that, you're likely to have a few sketchy players in the basket, and it makes sense for the city to try to work it out," he said. "A moratorium is a way to do it in a systematic matter."
Sheedy said it is "wise to look at any issue when proliferation begins."
"If they're going to operate under medical reasons, that's fine," she said.
Moratoriums already exist in Galt, Lodi and Los Angeles.
The Galt City Council voted 4-1 Tuesday to place a 10-month moratorium on dispensaries and also to direct city staff to draft an ordinance regulating the facilities.
Supporters of the move said restricting the facilities is a matter of public safety.
News Hawk: User: 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: Sacramento Bee
Copyright: 2009 The Sacramento Bee
Contact: opinion@sacbee.com
Website: Northern California local news and information from The Sacramento Bee - sacbee.com
Author: Ryan Lillis
While the estimates of how many facilities are now open in the city range from 15 to 28, the number has clearly grown in recent months, both council members and marijuana advocates say.
As a result, the city is considering whether it's time to place a temporary moratorium on the facilities while stricter regulations are put in place.
"It's not that we don't want any marijuana dispensaries," said Councilman Steve Cohn, whose district covering midtown and east Sacramento has seen as many as 10 of the shops open in recent months. "What it means is, we already have quite a few in the city, and we want to take a timeout and see where we're at."
Cohn said the number of clinics in the city has ballooned since the Obama administration said earlier this year that it would honor state laws regulating medicinal pot and stop raids on dispensaries. That represents a shift from Bush administration policy, which ordered raids of the facilities even in states that allowed for medicinal marijuana use.
In California, the medicinal use of marijuana has been legal since voters passed Proposition 215 in 1996.
For many years, roughly five dispensaries operated in the city of Sacramento. In the past six months, however, the number has spiked to more than 20, estimated Lanette Davies, Sacramento coordinator for Americans for Safe Access, a nonprofit organization that lobbies for medicinal marijuana patients.
"We don't want an unruly group opening up all across the city; we want safe access for patients," Davies said. "When they open, we want to know they're doing the right thing. One bad apple can make the whole group look bad."
The City Council may discuss the moratorium as early as June 2. If a cap is placed on new facilities, the city would likely draft an ordinance restricting where the dispensaries can operate and what they can sell.
Under current code, the city refuses to issue business licenses to the facilities. At the same time, there is nothing in the zoning ordinances that outlaws them.
Some dispensaries tell the city they are selling alternative, herbal or natural medicine, Davies said.
No official record is kept in the city of how many dispensaries exist, and the Police Department often does not discover new facilities until they are victims of a crime or a neighbor complains.
"It's one of those gray areas, and we want to make sure we have clear-cut rules on where these businesses can go and the conditions under which they can operate," Cohn said.
The increase in marijuana dispensaries has sparked the talk of a moratorium.
"It hasn't been high on the list," Councilwoman Sandy Sheedy said. "We've been looking at gangs, we've been looking at crime and at the economy. This doesn't rise to the level of that."
Dale Gieringer, one of the authors of Proposition 215 and the state coordinator for the National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws, or NORML, a nonprofit organization that lobbies for the legalization of marijuana, said cities often turn to moratoriums when the number of dispensaries hits a high number.
"When you reach a point like that, you're likely to have a few sketchy players in the basket, and it makes sense for the city to try to work it out," he said. "A moratorium is a way to do it in a systematic matter."
Sheedy said it is "wise to look at any issue when proliferation begins."
"If they're going to operate under medical reasons, that's fine," she said.
Moratoriums already exist in Galt, Lodi and Los Angeles.
The Galt City Council voted 4-1 Tuesday to place a 10-month moratorium on dispensaries and also to direct city staff to draft an ordinance regulating the facilities.
Supporters of the move said restricting the facilities is a matter of public safety.
News Hawk: User: 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: Sacramento Bee
Copyright: 2009 The Sacramento Bee
Contact: opinion@sacbee.com
Website: Northern California local news and information from The Sacramento Bee - sacbee.com
Author: Ryan Lillis
