Pubdate: Thu, 20 Mar 2014
Source: Chico News & Review, The (CA)
Copyright: 2014 Chico Community Publishing, Inc.
Contact:  http://www.newsreview.com/chico/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/559

SIGNATURES SUBMITTED

Medi-Pot Referendum Petition Filed With County Clerk-Recorder's Office

Medical-marijuana advocates submitted a referendum petition last week
to bring Butte County's medi-pot ordinance to a public vote.

The Butte County Board of Supervisors adopted amendments to the
ordinance in February that medi-pot users decried as prohibitively
restrictive. Medi-pot advocate and supervisor candidate Andrew Merkel
(pictured) told the supervisors to "go ahead and do it" during a
recent meeting, promising to bring the issue to a public vote. Merkel
and company followed through, submitting 12,262 signatures, well over
the required 7,605.

The amendments were set to go into effect on March 14, but will remain
suspended as Clerk-Recorder Candace Grubbs determines whether enough
of the petition's signatures are valid. If not, the ordinance will go
into effect immediately. If enough are valid, the supervisors can
either repeal the ordinance entirely or bring the issue to Butte
County voters. In that case, the ordinance will remain suspended until
the election-either the general election in November or a special election.
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MAP posted-by: Matt