Pubdate: Fri, 13 Feb 2009
Source: Times-Standard (Eureka, CA)
Copyright: 2009 Times-Standard
Contact: http://www.times-standard.com/writeus
Website: http://www.times-standard.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1051
Author: Jessie Faulkner
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?115 (Cannabis - California)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal)

NO DISPENSARIES FOR TRINIDAD

TRINIDAD -- The City Council took the first step  Wednesday to ban 
medical marijuana dispensaries or  cooperatives within the seaside town.

The only medical marijuana cultivation that will be  allowed under 
the new ordinance is that of certified  215 patients or their 
caretakers, Trinidad Police Chief  Ken Thrailkill said Thursday.

Because the Trinidad City Council has not officially  adopted the 
Humboldt County guidelines for allowable  amounts of medical 
marijuana -- 99 square feet or 99  plants -- the state guidelines of 
12 immature plants or  6 mature plants and 8 ounces of processed 
marijuana are used in Trinidad, the police chief said.

The council had the first reading of the ordinance  Wednesday, with 
the second reading and vote set for the  April 8 meeting. There were 
a couple of minor  modifications to the ordinance but none that would 
delay action on the measure, according to City Attorney  Paul Hagen. 
If approved, the law would go into effect  30 days after the council's vote.

Thrailkill proposed the ban at the council's first  meeting in 
December in response to the discovery of  several grow houses within 
the city limits. Four grow  houses have been busted in the last six 
months, the  police chief.

"Every single one of these grow houses we busted had  some sort of 
215 but well exceeded county legal limits  and state limits," he said.

And each had indications, he said, that the marijuana  was grown for 
sale rather than 215. Those indications included packaging materials 
and scales.

The proposed ordinance includes several stated reasons  for the ban 
of dispensaries or cooperatives including  potential impacts to the city.

Among those are illegal drug activity and sales near  dispensaries, 
robbery of dispensary customers, resale  of the marijuana to 
unqualified people and a general  increase in burglaries and robberies.

The proposed law states: "It shall be unlawful for any  person or 
entity to own, manage, conduct or operate any  medical marijuana 
cooperative or collective, or to  participate as an employee, 
contractor, agent or  volunteer, or in any other manner or capacity, 
in any  medical marijuana cooperative or collective in the city  of Trinidad."

If the council adopts the ordinance, those found guilty  of operating 
a dispensary within the city limits will  be charged with a misdemeanor.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom