Pubdate: Tue, 06 Jan 2015 Source: Press-Enterprise (Riverside, CA) Copyright: 2015 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 POISED TO LEGALIZE POT? The legalization of marijuana is a matter of when - not if. Four decades of prohibition have been a remarkable display of poorly conceived and badly implemented policy. It seems as though lawmakers in the Inland Empire are starting to awaken to this reality. "I think marijuana dispensaries will be coming to Riverside," says city councilman Mike Gardner. "It also won't surprise me when California follows Washington and Oregon." His fellow councilman Mike Soubirous, who recognizes the medicinal value of marijuana, anticipates a time when marijuana is "regulated like alcohol." The city of Riverside spent much of last year resisting a ballot initiative that, if passed, would authorize approximately 10 marijuana dispensaries in the city. The city sued the proponents, an effort shot down in court last month. Attorney Joseph Thompson, who represents proponents of the initiative, described the city as being so committed to the failed policy of prohibiting medical marijuana that city officials are "willing to sue their own electorate, hire private attorneys, using the electorate's money." The city has yet to decide if it will move forward, though neither Mr. Gardner nor Mr. Soubirous anticipate an appeal from the city. "I don't see us fighting over something the city already lost. I think it should be up to the will of the people," says Mr. Soubirous. Though Mr. Gardner would rather see the City Council make the decision of permitting medical marijuana dispensaries, he hasn't seen much of any interest among council members during his seven years in office to act on the issue. "We've mainly just been waiting to see how marijuana dispensaries play out in other cities," he says. Thus far, the cities of Palm Springs, Desert Hot Springs and Cathedral City are the only cities in the Inland Empire that permit medical marijuana dispensaries. Palm Springs initially authorized three dispensaries, but has since authorized a fourth. The latter two cities only recently permitted dispensaries and are processing applications from potential dispensary operators. "I think that what Palm Springs has shown is that the sky won't fall if you allow the dispensation of medical marijuana," says Mr. Thompson. Indeed, it appears that a properly regulated dispensary system can yield significant benefits. Secure buildings, with cameras and armed guards are preferable to the potential harms of the black market. The city of Riverside could benefit from finally permitting the dispensaries. Since 2010, the city has spent over $800,000 on private attorneys to combat unauthorized medical marijuana dispensaries, as well as utilizing an unqualified amount of in-house resources on the matter. Cities like Palm Springs that have created a system of permitted dispensaries have seen significant drops in unauthorized dispensaries, without needing to waste more taxpayer resources. Of course, there is always the possibility that California will follow the trend of marijuana legalization, thus further complicating things for generally reluctant local governments. Just as the sky has yet to fall in Palm Springs for permitting medical marijuana, Colorado and Washington don't seem to have succumbed to reefer madness, either. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom