Plainsman1963

Pasadena looks to ban marijuana dispensaries
Dispensaries may be permitted in future
01-27-2005 | Gene Maddaus | Pasadena Star News

The Planning Commission has voted to ban marijuana dispensaries from the city, though it left open the possibility of permitting them once pending legal and regulatory issues are settled.
The commission's recommendation will go on to the City Council, which will make the final decision.

California voters made it legal under state law for patients with a prescription to smoke marijuana. But marijuana is still considered contraband under federal law, and several California dispensaries have been raided by federal agents.

In Oakland, a cluster of dispensaries that resembled Amsterdam hash bars came to be known as "Oaksterdam.' The city opted to regulate the cafes after neighbors complained of drug dealing and other street crime.

Several California cities have used their zoning codes to ban marijuana dispensaries outright, fearing they will become magnets for recreational drug use. Berkeley and a few other cities have permitted dispensaries with some restrictions.

No one has formally proposed opening a marijuana dispensary in Pasadena, though a few have inquired about it, said Dr. Takashi Wada, the city's public health officer.

The city's health department supports the ban, though it acknowledges that marijuana is a legitimate treatment for a range of ailments.

"It's an issue we feel should be revisited,' Wada said.

The state is preparing a new identification card system that will make it easier for patients with legitimate prescriptions to get marijuana without being hassled by authorities. The system is expected to be in place by the end of the year.

The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to weigh in on the issue this spring. The court will decide whether federal authorities have the right to regulate California's marijuana market under the Constitution's "interstate commerce' clause.

The Pasadena Police Department argued for the ban on dispensaries, citing reports of crime and loitering from other cities that have allowed such facilities.

But at a hearing Wednesday night, several planning commissioners seemed unconvinced by the department's arguments.

Commissioner Diana Peterson- More, who is on the board of Pasadena's AIDS Service Center, expressed concern that AIDS and cancer patients would be forced to drive to Los Angeles or Long Beach for marijuana.

There are no dispensaries in the San Gabriel Valley.

"I am troubled by the blanket prohibition,' said Commission Chair Liz Trussell. "We can't just ignore people who are in chronic pain.'

At Compassionate Caregivers Long Beach, a man who said he was the manager gave only his first name, Eric. He said his dispensary was considering opening a new branch in Pasadena and was disappointed to learn of the Planning Commission's decision.

He said that he has security guards at the Long Beach facility who make sure the clientele doesn't create problems for the neighbors. The only gripes his neighbors have relate to parking, he said.

Wada said it might be better to have marijuana dispensaries with a more clinical appearance, as opposed to the cigar lounge setting of many dispensaries in the Bay Area.

The issue is not expected to come before the City Council until February.