Pubdate: Tue, 01 Dec 2009 Source: Daily Sound (Santa Barbara, CA) Copyright: 2009 Daily Sound Contact: http://www.thedailysound.com/contact/Letters-to-the-editor Website: http://www.thedailysound.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4995 Author: Eric Lindberg Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal) ASSEMBLYMAN CHIMES IN ON LOCAL POT SHOP CONTROVERSY In a lengthy letter released yesterday, Assemblymember Pedro Nava decried the proliferation of medical marijuana dispensaries in Santa Barbara and called on city leaders to correct what he termed "inadequate regulations and restrictions" as soon as possible. Pot dispensaries have spiraled out of control in our community, threaten the fabric and quality of our lives, and must be stopped," he said in the prepared statement. "Unfortunately, prior attempts to regulate pot dispensaries were lacking and have failed." He pressed city officials to establish a moratorium on new dispensary applications and investigate shops that are currently open to ensure they meet state and local laws. Nava cited the negative influence of dispensaries on young children, recovering drug addicts and other community members in his letter to the council. Parents with school-age children deserve better than to have their kids walk in front of the marijuana dispensary on their way to class," he wrote. "Recovering substance abusers should not have to witness the proliferation of illegal pot shops as they struggle to resurrect their lives. And criminals who grow, distribute and sell illegal marijuana should not see Santa Barbara as just another market to exploit. It's way past time to roll up the Santa Barbara welcome mat." But several city leaders accused him of political posturing, including Councilmember Das Williams, who is facing off against Nava's wife, Susan Jordan, in the Democratic race for the termed-out assemblyman's seat in 2010. Nava is also hoping to translate his time in the assembly into a successful run for state attorney general next year. When he sees the opportunity to score some points, he is obviously trying to do that," Williams said. "But look, the job is already getting done." The city's ordinance committee has worked through a painstaking series of hearings in recent months while drafting a set of recommendations to tighten up current regulations on medical marijuana dispensaries -- including a citywide cap of seven dispensaries spread among seven geographical areas. Those recommendations are heading to the city's planning commission for review before proceeding to the full council for approval, likely in the next month. And city officials decided several weeks ago to discuss and possibly approve a moratorium on new and pending dispensary applications, a discussion that will take place in the coming weeks. Currently, the city is aware of one permitted dispensary that is open, eight that are in the approval pipeline, and four that opened before the city established regulations and have a limited timeframe before they must close or come into compliance, as well as three illegal shops that are facing enforcement actions. Local leaders have been struggling for several years to find a balance between protecting access to medical marijuana for legitimate patients while protecting neighborhoods from negative impacts of dispensaries. A set of regulations went into effect last year, but city officials continued to receive complaints about the proliferation of new dispensaries, prompting officials to revisit those regulations. Every time the public has come to us, we have ramped up the response," Williams said. "We are tightening the regulations on these places, we're shutting down the ones that are illegal and we are requiring the ones that are nonconforming to come into compliance." Attempts to contact Nava for comment on the accusations that his letter was politically motivated were not successful yesterday. Reached yesterday afternoon, Mayor Marty Blum said she also believes the letter has political undertones -- particularly due to the heated battle between Jordan and Williams over Nava's assembly seat. His wife is running against our ordinance committee chair," the mayor said. "Maybe it's too simplistic, but that's the bottom line." Blum said she couldn't remember the last time Nava has weighed in on an issue being discussed by Santa Barbara city officials. He is a resident of the city, so he has the right, but he usually doesn't meddle in these things," she said. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D