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Plainsman1963

Pot dispensary slips by Norco's radar
12-27-2006 | DailyBulletin.Com | Andrea Bennett

NORCO - Collective Solution - a medical marijuana collective - has been operating inconspicuously in the middle of the city's Old Town since Dec. 1.
And, apparently, nobody noticed.

"We really want to be good neighbors to everyone," said Chris Yap, one of four partners who run the collective. "We want to be there for the patients, and be low-key and quiet. Our hope is to blend in like a Rite Aid."

While the Rite Aid on Sixth Street was met with anything but approval from residents, Collective Solution has effectively kept a low profile.

Looking like an abandoned house, the collective has remained off the radar of city officials and staff for most of the month.

At last week's City Council meeting, both City Attorney John Harper and Community Development Director Jim Daniels said they were unaware that a collective was up and running in town.

"We'll definitely be looking into it," Daniels said.

The City Council approved a 45-day moratorium on such establishments, which ended in mid-November.

Members of Collective Solution applied for a business license for the dispensary at that time, which was promptly denied as no zones within the city allow for such a use.

On Dec. 6, three weeks after the first moratorium ended, a one-year extension was passed and backdated in an attempt to cover the time lapse.

At that point, however, Collective Solution had already begun operating, with members citing the fact that dispensaries cannot profit from sales and thus do not require business licenses.

"Once the initial moratorium expires, you can't wait two to three weeks and then backdate it," said co-owner Ken Andersen. "We're not trying to be disrespectful, but they left the door open and that's when we took the opportunity."

City officials contend the operation is illegal in town, regardless of the temporary ban's status.

"I knew they said they'd disobey the order," said Councilman Herb Higgins. "They've already been told, in the existing code, there's no place for a marijuana dispensing shop - whether there's a moratorium or not. Besides that, it's against the federal law, which supercedes everything else."

City Manager Jeff Allred said Thursday the city's code compliance lawyer will inform the establishment of its violation of city laws and ordinances and order it to cease and desist immediately.

With Corona trying to boot Healing Nations Collective, and Pomona poised to take on local dispensary Farm Assist Caregivers, the tension between Norco and Collective Solution might be the latest in a series of city vs. collective legal entanglements in the region.

From the outside, the yellow house looks vacant, save the drawn blinds. A piece of paper stuck to the door stating hours of operation is the only indication of activity within.

Inside, patients can wait in a secured, vibrant-colored front room stocked with High Times magazines and medicinal marijuana literature - and amid the inescapable waft of high-grade marijuana.

Once admitted - with proper identification and a doctor's recommendation - a selection of smokable strains, as well as a medley of edible concoctions, are at the patient's fingertips.

"This is not a general store," Andersen said. "We are providing a health care service. We're all about the patients. For those who are not patients, it should be a non-issue. ... We're doing it for patient access."

Andersen said that in addition to himself, Yap and two others who co-own Collective Solution, a handful of volunteers help staff the medical marijuana dispensary.

Currently, Andersen said, the group has a patient list of 35 - many of whom are Norco residents - but, once settled in, collectives such as theirs can serve up to 800 patients.

"The patients supply the medicinal marijuana to the facility to distribute to other patients. Same with the edibles," Andersen said. "Everybody is donating their time and efforts to get this going."

A dry erase board on the wall displays the medicinal menu for patients with selections, such as White Widow, Lavender and Ron's Red, complete with a special of the day.

Judy Thompson, another partner and patient, held a basket with marijuana-infused bread and a bottle containing a vinegar made from hashish - examples of options available to patients who cannot or choose not to inhale.

"When you smoke it, it's more of a mental pain relief," said patient Eric Agosto. "When you eat it, it's a different high. It alleviates more of the physical pain."

The herb has been proven to ease pain from migraines or injuries, curb nausea, and even stall the onset of Alzheimer's disease, among other ailments, Andersen said, and all without the side effects of pharmaceuticals.

The group said they aim to re-educate people who continue to see marijuana as an illicit drug.

"It's for people who are sick, and for people to deny that to people for political reasons or personal agendas is pretty arrogant," Andersen said. "It's not hurting anybody, children will not have access, and it won't increase crime."

Grover Trask, district attorney for Riverside County, released a report in September linking existing medical marijuana dispensaries with an increase in crime in those areas.

But a major source of apprehension for cities like Norco is the rift between the positions of the state and the federal government, and the dilemma of which one to uphold.

In 1996, California voters passed the Compassionate Use Act, and in 2004, the state Legislature clarified guidelines for patients and caregivers.

But the U.S. government has not budged in its stance that any marijuana use is illegal.

"It's been legal in California for 10 years, and for cities and counties to keep wasting money for something the taxpayers already approved is a shame," Andersen said. "I'm sure Norco has better things to spend its money on."

Andersen confirmed Tuesday that he received the city's order to cease and desist and that attorneys on both sides were involved, though no meetings have been planned.

He said, however, that his collective would neither cease nor desist its operations any time soon.

Although prepared for the inevitable court battle ahead, Collective Solution members say, they hope for an amicable resolution with the city in the end.

"We really want to contribute to the town of Norco, and we do want to have a voice and talk openly," Yap said. "We're here to do good. ... It's not anything like street dealing - we're not that at all. A lot of people are very supportive of it."

But, Yap added, "It is a slippery slope because this is a conservative town".