Pubdate: Fri, 06 Dec 2013
Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA)
Copyright: 2013 Hearst Communications Inc.
Contact: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/submissions/#1
Website: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/388
Author: Joe Garofoli

POT ADVOCATE'S ASCENT TO MAYOR THRILLS ACTIVISTS

The North Bay town of Sebastopol made history this week when the City 
Council picked a marijuana activist as mayor.

Robert Jacob is the founder and executive director of Peace in 
Medicine, which operates two licensed medical marijuana dispensaries. 
He is believed to be the first dispensary operator to be the top 
elected official of any city.

Jacob began serving on the Planning Commission in the city of 7,500 
people in 2011, then was elected to City Council in 2012. He was vice 
mayor before getting the top job Tuesday.

Jacob, 36, has worked to create statewide dispensary regulations as 
well as help craft local rules in Napa, Sacramento, San Jose and 
Stockton. He manages 40 full-time employees who serve 16,000 patients 
at his dispensaries.

"My life has been about service," Jacob said in a statement. "By 
addressing social problems such as homelessness, HIV/AIDS and access 
to medical cannabis, we can shape a better world for ourselves."

Medical marijuana advocates are thrilled, seeing Jacob's mayoralty as 
another step on the road to greater public acceptance.

"This historic, unprecedented vote in Sebastopol illustrates that the 
medical marijuana community has political strength and the influence 
to elect advocates to public office," said Don Duncan, California 
director of Americans for Safe Access, the country's largest medical 
marijuana advocacy group.

"Although medical marijuana enjoys the support of 80 percent of 
Americans," Duncan said, "Jacob's election as mayor of Sebastopol 
brings additional legitimacy to the patient community."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom