Pubdate: Sat, 14 Feb 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 END PROHIBITIONS ON MEDICAL POT DISPENSARIES In 1996, California voters approved Proposition 215, which authorized the use of marijuana for medical purposes. While the initiative permits the prescribing and use of marijuana, it allows local governments to implement aspects of the law in ways they see fit. For the most part, Inland cities have been quite slow in permitting the establishment of medical marijuana dispensaries. This trend has seen cracks in recent years, with cities like Palm Springs, Desert Hot Springs and Cathedral City authorizing the establishment of medical marijuana dispensaries. The city of San Bernardino considered moving forward on permitting dispensaries last summer, while residents in Riverside will vote on an initiative in June to do the same. The latest city to consider permitting dispensaries is the city of Upland. The public has begun to push an initiative on the matter, while the city council is sorting out how to proceed. "I am concerned with the amount of financial resources Upland has utilized in dealing with medical marijuana dispensaries operating in the city, when funds are needed for the operation of vital general services, public safety and public works that the city provides to residents and businesses," says city councilman Gino Filippi. At least $600,000 has been spent chasing medical marijuana dispensaries in the city in recent years, according to the councilman. As cities across the region are beginning to realize, chasing dispensaries is a costly game of whack-a-mole. Since 2007, the city of Riverside has spent over $800,000 on legal fees taking on dispensaries. Likewise, the city of San Bernardino reports spending upwards of $15,000 in legal fees taking on each dispensary. "We'd rather spend our money filling potholes and other things that benefit the community but we have to do this," says San Bernardino city attorney Gary Saenz. Mr. Saenz and San Bernardino Councilman Jim Mulvihill have indicated that the city may return to the issue in the near future. Adding to the basic costs involved, local officials seem increasingly aware of the prospect of full legalization of marijuana in the coming years. Taking into consideration the large expenditures on failed prohibitions and the trends toward legalizing marijuana, we believe that cities should end their doomed prohibitions on medical marijuana dispensaries. Tax dollars are better spent on more practical, tangible and beneficial matters. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom