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Medical Marijuana Advocates Make Push
Corona: A number of residents urge the City Council to find a way to permit dispensaries.
Melanie C. Johnson | The Press-Enterprise | 07/20/2006

Corona - Residents relying on medical marijuana as treatment for an illness are asking the city to move forward with establishing regulations for dispensaries of the drug.

Several people spoke before the Corona City Council on Wednesday night in support of dispensaries in general and Healing Nations in particular, a medical marijuana collective that the city wants shuttered.

The discussion followed the passage of an urgency ordinance last month that put a 45-day moratorium on these types of businesses. The issue is expected to come back to council for review in early August.

Supporters of access to medical marijuana called for the city to work with them to set up regulations for these types of retailers and urged the council members to get educated about the use of the drug in treating various illnesses.

"Illness strikes anyone," resident Jody Thompson said. "There's no bias. There's no color. There's no shape or size. It bites and it bites hard."

At one point, a sigh from Councilman Steve Nolan prompted an exchange between him and Thompson in which Nolan wanted to make clear that the city didn't have anything to do with opening Healing Nations and inquired if patients might get the drug in pill form instead of smoking it.

Thompson called that response to her comments "disappointing and disheartening."

Nolan said after the meeting that his reaction was about the city needing to look into the issue more and make an informed decision that benefits the community as a whole.

"There are too many ways that it can be used improperly," he said. "I don't disagree that some people need it medically. We don't know enough."

He said with the city recently banning the sale of marijuana paraphernalia at smoke shops, it would be "hypocritical" to say a person can't buy those items but that they could buy the drug.

City officials have cited the disparity between state and federal laws related to the use of the drug as the chief reason for the moratorium.

Medical marijuana became legal in the state in 1996 when voters approved Prop. 215. A subsequent bill in 2004 established guidelines for its use.

However, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June 2005 that medical marijuana users in states that permitted its use still could be subject to federal prosecution.

City Attorney Dean Derleth said Healing Nations Collective has been notified in writing that they are currently an illegal use under Corona's municipal code and that during closed session, the city did authorize him to pursue legal action if necessary to shut it down.

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