Marijuana collective in Wildomar closed, for now

Wildomar's first medical marijuana collective, open for just three days,
has closed its doors after being ordered by the city to shut down.

A cease and desist order was delivered to the collective on Mission
Trail on Monday by a Wildomar code enforcement officer.

Zoning rules, inherited from Riverside County when Wildomar became a
city in 2008, ban marijuana facilities from the city. Advocates argue
that such regulations are overruled by state laws allowing for medical
marijuana.

General Manager William Sump said the collective closed on Monday, when
it was so ordered. He said he believes the ban is not allowed by state
law, but wanted to maintain an amicable relationship with the city in
hopes of working out an agreement to reopen.

Several medical marijuana patients came in over the weekend, Sump said.

A collective allows patients with doctor's recommendation to buy
marijuana from other patients who grow it. The nonprofit collective is
allowed to take a small cut of the proceeds for operating expenses.

Word of the closure came during a city council meeting on Wednesday.
About a half-dozen medical marijuana advocates spoke during the
meeting's public comment period.

Some on the city council said they would support a nonprofit marijuana
collective if it were regulated. Others said they needed more
information on the subject.

Councilwoman Sheryl Ade chided Sump for opening without the city's
permission, but said Wildomar should move forward on regulations that
would allow a collective. The city should try to be a model for others
in the county, she said, by passing rules to ensure the operation is
"nonprofit, regulated and safe."

"We should be managers," Ade said.

The council directed City Manager Frank Oviedo to look into the issue,
with the possibility of drafting a new ordinance. The council could it
up at its next meeting, on March 24.

Sump is also general manager of a similar collective in Riverside. As in
Wildomar, that operation opened despite zoning laws that city officials
said banned marijuana facilities.

Since opening in December, the Riverside collective has been allowed to
operate without government interference, Sump said. The only contact
with law enforcement came recently when a police officer viewed footage
from the building's security camera that helped determine who was at
fault in a nearby car accident, he said.