Pubdate: Wed, 19 Dec 2012
Source: Press-Enterprise (Riverside, CA)
Copyright: 2012 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: John Hill

MURRIETA: RULE ALLOWS QUICK ACTION ON POT DISPENSARIES

The Murrieta City Council on Tuesday, Dec. 18, granted its attorney
power to move to shut down any medical marijuana dispensaries that
open in the city.

The new rule would allow the city attorney, after consulting with the
police chief and city manager, to seek injunctions to close
dispensaries without asking for permission from the council
beforehand. The vote was 4-1, with Harry Ramos opposed.

The city has barred dispensaries since 2005. Last year, the council
passed a temporary moratorium on dispensaries to keep new ones from
opening in the event the California Supreme Court rules citywide bans
illegal. The moratorium, which has been extended until next September,
would allow the city time to draft regulations before any dispensaries
could open.

The rule passed Tuesday will allow the city to move quickly in the
event that there isn't an upcoming City Council meeting, said City
Attorney Leslie Devaney.

"It's important that the city move forward with litigation and court
orders immediately so dispensaries don't become vested in the city,"
Devaney said.

If the city does move to shut down a dispensary, the move would be
brought up at the council's next meeting. Or, if a council member
feels strongly enough, he or she could call for a special meeting to
discuss the move before the city seeks the injunction, Devaney said.

The vote comes about two weeks after Diamond Star Remedies opened in a
small brown building in a dirt lot near Jefferson Avenue. The outlet
is the third dispensary to open in Murrieta in the past 18 months.

The other two medical marijuana facilities have since shut down after
being faced with tens of thousands of dollars in escalating fines by
the city's code enforcement department.

Ramos objected to granting the city attorney more enforcement
authority over dispensaries because he said he opposes the moratorium.

The move was objected to by a handful of marijuana advocates,
including John Szwec, who who runs Diamond Star Remedies.

"I don't know if you guys have taken a poll, but in Murrieta there are
a lot of people that are disabled and rely on medical cannabis," Szwec
said. 
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