ITG

City Council decides to ban medical marijuana dispensaries
Request from doctor led to urgent measure
05/15/09 | San Diego Union Tribune | Lola Sherman

OCEANSIDE — The City Council has approved an urgency ordinance, effective immediately, forbidding the establishment of medical marijuana dispensaries in Oceanside.

After hearing from 17 speakers, many lobbying passionately for or against marijuana, the council voted 4-0 for the ban at its meeting Wednesday night.

“It's the moral and legal thing you should do,” Dion Markgraaff, head of San Diego Americans for Safe Access, said in urging the council to reject the ban.

“Tons of people need” marijuana for their pain, he said.

“It's one of the safest therapeutic substances known to mankind,” marijuana proponent Neal Musik said.

Lori Green traveled from Yucca Valley in San Bernardino County to speak in favor of the ordinance, saying marijuana use can encourage other criminal behavior in young people.

Four friends backed up Kinney Hines, co-chairman of the North Coastal Prevention Coalition, when he said permitting medical marijuana dispensaries “would send the wrong message that drugs are acceptable.”

Bruce Frankel, executive director of the San Diego Prevention Coalition, told the council that the dispensaries practice no quality control and “take advantage of desperate patients” by charging $12.50 to $25 for a gram of marijuana.

Eugene Davidovich, a Gulf War veteran and a self-described “cannabis patient,” suggested the city set up a task force to consider allowing dispensaries.

“I cannot wrap my arms around legalizing marijuana in any form,” Councilman Jack Feller said.

Councilmen Rocky Chavez and Jerry Kern said the city's role involves land use – where to allow dispensaries, if they are allowed – and does not involve deciding medical issues. Councilwoman Esther Sanchez was absent from the meeting.

John Mullen, the city attorney, said the urgency of the council approving an ordinance was the result of a visit he had from a doctor wanting to open a medical-marijuana dispensary.

Juliana von Hacht, associate planner for the city, recommended the ban, saying that to do otherwise “may cause a proliferation of marijuana dispensaries.”

Von Hacht said other cities – she cited Rocklin, Roseville, Oakland, Hayward and Fairfax – have found that burglaries, robberies, loitering and traffic have increased near dispensaries.

An urgency ordinance is good for only 45 days, but von Hacht said, “I will come back to you and request an extension to 10 months and 15 days.”

Use of marijuana for medicinal purposes is legal in California if recommended by a doctor. But it's not legal under federal law, and federal agents have raided medical-marijuana dispensaries in the county.

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It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul.

Snoe

I wonder when it will hit these politicians that as support grows for medical marijuana their chances for re-election drops.

You would think they would at least secure their job and support rational debate like their governor.

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mcduffee420

yeah for the last week we.ve been going backwords and i think were gonna see this more often than not and only the voters that only vote for weed issues wont vote for them as a public as a whole i dont think it will hurt the reelections too much

dirtbomb

Four friends backed up Kinney Hines, co-chairman of the North Coastal Prevention Coalition, when he said permitting medical marijuana dispensaries “would send the wrong message that drugs are acceptable.”
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When will these prohibitionist dingleberries finally just go away?

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nornerator

In a state that has majority support for outright legalization, effectively banning medical marijuana in this area will hopefully be political suicide.

Remover

First you have to figure out when they were born and then calculate when those born later than them in a more accepting environment will have a good chance at election...i.e., those raised in the 30's through the early 60's need to be replaced by those born later. 1970...they're hitting 40 years old, just gaining enough political experience to begin running for offices that hold more power. It's coming, just gonna take time for the "old" views to literally die off.

Buzzby

Politicians spend half their time thinking about reelection. They start campaigning for the next election the day after they're elected. I'm sure this hasn't escaped them. Apparently, they still believe that opposing legalization will garner more votes than advocating it.

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Mikeebud

Denieing paitents medication is a crime on humanity.

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Religion is just a theroy, Like the goverment that's your friend.

wake and bacon

This shit pisses me off... it really does at this point in time.

These are SICK people who aren't trying to get high - they are just trying to be able to comfortably live.

Sometimes I wish those voting against MMJ measures would contract a disease where MMJ truly helps out - I'd like to see what would happen then...

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Jared_320

Karma will get them some day, don't worry about those naive and ignorant voters. Wait till they find their 16 year old perfect high school kid smoking pot in their garage. Let's see how they deal with that.