Pubdate: Tue, 15 Sep 2009 Source: Press-Enterprise (Riverside, CA) Copyright: 2009 The Press-Enterprise Company Contact: http://www.pe.com/localnews/opinion/letters_form.html Website: http://www.pe.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/830 Author: Erin Waldner YUCAIPA CITY COUNCIL BANS MARIJUANA DISPENSARIES YUCAIPA - A temporary ban on medical marijuana dispensaries in Yucaipa is now permanent. The Yucaipa City Council on Monday night adopted an ordinance that prohibits medical marijuana dispensaries. The vote was 3-0, with Councilmen Allan Drusys and Tom Masner absent. There was no discussion or public comment. The ordinance goes into effect in 30 days. The city established a one-year moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries in May 2008. On Aug. 10, the council approved the first reading of the ordinance that permanently bans dispensaries. The vote was 3-1, with Drusys voting no. Councilwoman Denise Hoyt was absent. Drusys said at the time that this should be a matter between a physician and the patient's pharmacist and to take such a broad approach to medical marijuana was doing a disservice to patients. A staff report to the council states that under state Prop. 215, the Compassionate Use Act of 1996, qualified individuals have the legal right to possess, use and cultivate marijuana for their own medical purposes access to medical marijuana. "However, this initiative did not provide the right for individuals to establish medical marijuana dispensaries, stores, or co-ops as a means of distributing marijuana to 'qualified individuals,' " the report states. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake