Community to Help Regulaate Cannabis

Supervisors defer to public on medical marijuana

By Jason Sweeney
Oakland Tribune
Posted: 07/23/2009 04:24:00 PM PDT

SAN LORENZO — The crowd attending Wednesday night's forum on medical
marijuana didn't seem satisfied with proposed changes to Alameda
County's marijuana ordinance.

So county Supervisors Alice Lai-Bitker, Nate Miley and Gail Steele took
what seemed to be a logical step: They appointed members of the
community to draw up suggestions for changes.

No deadline was set for the group's work.

Miley singled out Susan Beck, secretary of the Cherryland Community
Association and one of the more outspoken forum participants, to lead
the community effort.

Beck said Thursday that she would like to see the county adopt an
ordinance that would serve patients, improve business districts and
protect youths and at-risk populations.

"The current model, from what we can tell, attracts a lot of patients
from outside the area," she said. "We don't want to be the central
distribution point for marijuana for this entire region of California."

Beck said her group is working with the San Lorenzo Village Homes
Association on a model for medical marijuana distribution in the
county's unincorporated areas.

Wednesday's well-attended meeting was a follow-up to an April 22 meeting
at which the county supervisors sought community input in preparing to
redraft the current medical marijuana ordinance. County counsel is
revising the ordinance in response to guidelines set last fall by state
Attorney General Jerry Brown.

Speakers at Wednesday's meeting voiced opinions both for and against
medical marijuana. Some homeowners said they thought dispensaries were
being forced into their community, while other speakers asking for safe
access to medical cannabis.

Assistant County Counsel Donna Ziegler outlined the proposed changes to
the ordinance, which include disclosure of where marijuana is being
cultivated — a requirement not in effect now. Also, the minimum
distance between dispensaries was set at 3,000 feet, which is the
current distance between the two remaining dispensaries.

Community members asked for a three-mile minimum.

The revisions retained the current number of permits at three, and
grandfathered in the two existing permits owned by We Are Hemp, 913 E.
Lewelling Blvd., on the border of Ashland, Cherryland and San Lorenzo,
and Cherryland's Garden of Eden, 21227 Foothill Blvd.

Miley said a third permit would be granted only after the two existing
dispensaries demonstrate that they are operating in compliance with
regulations.

Jason Sweeney covers San Lorenzo. Reach him at 510-293-2469.