Pubdate: Fri, 07 Jun 2013
Source: Press-Enterprise (Riverside, CA)
Copyright: 2013 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: Richard K. De Atley

Riverside

MEDICAL POT DISPENSARY - CITY'S LAST 'ACTIVE' FACILITY - CLOSES

MEDICAL POT DISPENSARY -- CITY'S LAST 'ACTIVE' FACILITY

The issue of medical marijuana will come up again Tuesday, June 11, 
when Riverside takes on mobile dispensaries.

One of the last remaining medical marijuana storefronts operating in 
Riverside since the Supreme Court last month upheld the city's zoning 
ordinance banning them was shut down and boarded up on Friday, June. 7.

The Riverside County Patients Association at 11759 Magnolia Ave. had 
refused until Friday to comply with a temporary restraining order to 
close its doors, even after the California Supreme Court ruled May 6 
in a case that originated in Riverside that local governments could 
ban dispensaries, said City Attorney Greg Priamos.

While two other possible locations in the city are under 
investigation, Riverside County Patients Association was "the last 
one we know of that was active, operating and selling marijuana," 
Priamos said by phone. "They were holding on to take advantage of 
being one of the last dispensaries in the city."

He said the store was estimated to have 250-300 customers a day.

On Friday, he said, city authorities went to the location with the 
property owner who was leasing the space to the operators of the 
dispensary. The property owner talked to the operators and they 
consented to remove the marijuana and vacate the property in lieu of 
arrest, Priamos said.

A contractor began boarding the store up on Friday afternoon. The 
property owner paid for the work, Priamos said.

"There was no necessity to arrest anyone or take any actions against 
the tenants themselves, which is what we hoped," he said.

Two separate postings on Riverside County Patients Association's 
Facebook page Friday read, "someone told me you guys are closing its 
not true is it," followed an hour later by "drove by today doors were closed!"

Riverside had identified 77 medical marijuana facilities in 2009, 
when it passed its zoning law banning them from the city.

But the issue of selling medical marijuana inside city limits doesn't 
appear to be over.

Priamos said the Riverside City Council agenda for Tuesday, June 11, 
includes a status report on the enforcement program, "as well as an 
urgency ordinance banning mobile dispensaries."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom