Pubdate: Thu, 27 Jun 2013
Source: Bakersfield Californian, The (CA)
Copyright: 2013 The Bakersfield Californian
Contact:  http://www.bakersfield.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/36
Author: Theo Douglas

CITY COUNCIL VOTES TO BAN MEDICAL MARIJUANA DISPENSARIES IN BAKERSFIELD

The Bakersfield City Council on Wednesday approved an ordinance
banning medical marijuana dispensaries within city limits, following
testimony from three residents in favor of, and four residents against
the ban.

The ordinance, which will take effect in approximately 30 days, is
modeled after a similar example in Riverside, which recently was
upheld in a decision by the California Supreme Court allowing cities
to ban dispensaries.

City Attorney Ginny Gennaro has been adamant that Bakersfield's
ordinance, which should be in place by late July, will not result in
the overnight shuttering of dispensaries. Rather, it will prohibit
their operation in all zones of the city -- from residential to commercial.

"It now becomes a zoning issue," Gennaro said in a conversation before
the meeting. "That's why it's difficult for a lot of people to
understand how the process works."

Actual enforcement of the ban will vary depending upon the situation,
but investigations will be initiated by complaints, the city attorney
said, and likely will involve both the city Code Enforcement
Department, which investigates zoning violations; and the Police
Department, which will determine whether a particular building
actually houses a business where marijuana is being sold.

"Every case, whether you call it case or complaint, has to be looked
at and judged, and a process undertaken that is unique to that case,"
Gennaro said. "It's not like some code enforcement complaint, where
somebody says, 'This guy has a lot of junk in his yard,' and so,
bingo, that starts the code enforcement process."

The ordinance makes closing dispensaries a civil matter, not a
criminal one, unless crimes are found to have occurred at a
dispensary. After investigating a dispensary with a complaint against
it, Gennaro said the city then would have to take its case to civil
court.

"I don't envision a ticket being issued," Gennaro said, noting that
violators likely would receive a correction notice. "It's not going to
go into the criminal courts. The bottom line is, once you get yourself
into that type of business, what does the city want in this matter?
It's the closure of the business."

City staff told the council that they have received 17 telephone calls
against the marijuana ordinance. However, resident Marcie Davis
applauded the city for banning dispensaries.

"I don't believe that all these 18-year-olds in Bakersfield have a
need for medical marijuana," said Davis, who lives near a dispensary.
"There's no accountability for these places. I see these places as
just a stepping-stone for our kids who already are having such a
problem with drugs."

Bakersfield attorney Philip Ganong was not convinced.

"What you're seeing is the typical 'Oh, save the children' plea," said
Ganong, who said he drafted an ordinance for the city to consider
three months ago, that would have regulated dispensaries instead of
banning them. " 'Please save the children' can be better directed to
responsible parenting, rather than shutting everybody down and making
it hard for sick people and law-abiding people to obtain it." Others
agreed.

"That lacks credibility," said Douglas McAfee, executive director of
Bakersfield NORML, which works to reform marijuana legislation. "We
have to keep this above the table. We have to have an open government.
I do not want to return to the good old days of the good old boys."

Ward 6 Councilwoman Jacquie Sullivan said the city followed due
process, and approved a good ordinance.

"We did honor democracy. It was suggested that we were not, because of
closing them," Sullivan said after the meeting. "But I am certain that
many more people are in favor of having them closed down. It is
appropriate for us to make that decision."

The vote to approve the ordinance was 4 to 0 in favor, with Ward 4
Councilman Bob Smith and Ward 5 Councilman Harold Hanson absent, and
newly installed Ward 1 Councilman Willie Rivera abstaining because he
was not present for the original discussion of the ordinance.
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