Pubdate: Tue, 04 Apr 2006 Source: Tribune, The (San Luis Obispo, CA) Copyright: 2006 The Tribune Contact: http://www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanluisobispo/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/391 Author: Larissa Van Beurden-Doust Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Marijuana - Medicinal) GROVER BEACH EXTENDS BAN ON MEDICAL MARIJUANA SHOPS Grover Beach has extended its moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries and has taken steps to make the ban permanent. The council voted 5-0 Monday to extend the 180-day moratorium that would have expired April 19. Without the extension, there would have a period before a permanent ban was in place that would have allowed such dispensaries to be established within the city. The council voted 4-1 to make the ban permanent. The soonest it could become affective is 30 days after a second vote on April 20. Mayor Larry Versaw dissented. While he said he's strongly opposed to recreationally using marijuana or any drugs and thinks a dispensary could be extremely problematic, he didn't want to give the message that the city has forever closed the door on using marijuana medicinally. "My mother died of cancer," Versaw said while trying to hold back tears. "I do believe that in her case and a lot of cases like hers, that marijuana could serve a purpose. If not curative, at least it would have eased her suffering." - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake