San Bernardino Bans Medical Marijuana Dispensaries

San Bernardino bans medical marijuana dispensaries

10:00 PM PDT on Tuesday, September 22, 2009

By CHRIS RICHARD
The Press-Enterprise

San Bernardino became the latest Inland city to ban medical marijuana
dispensaries late Monday.

City Council members voted unanimously, with Dennis Baxter and Rikke Van
Johnson absent, in favor of a ban, Deputy City Clerk Linda Sutherland
said.

California voters decriminalized medical marijuana in 1996, but San
Bernardino and San Diego counties filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn
the decision. The counties declined to issue permits until after the
U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear their appeal earlier this year.

San Bernardino County has begun issuing medical marijuana identification
cards but has a moratorium in place on new dispensaries in
unincorporated areas.

Several Inland cities, most recently Yucaipa on Sept. 14, have outlawed
dispensaries.

San Bernardino had imposed a temporary moratorium in March 2007 and
extended it twice, most recently in February 2008, a staff report shows.

The report notes that California's decriminalization conflicts with
federal law. Studies by other cities show dispensaries contribute to
increases in noise, traffic, burglaries and robberies, the report
states.

During the public comment section of the meeting, Jay Lindberg warned
that denying dispensaries permission to open could mean refusing
seriously ill people medicine authorized under California law.
Councilwoman Wendy McCammack said her grown daughter has frequently told
her how easy it can be to obtain a false prescription.

Reach Chris Richard at 951-368-9529 or crichard@PE. com

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