Pubdate: Fri, 20 May 2016 Source: Orange County Register, The (CA) Copyright: 2016 The Orange County Register Contact: http://www.ocregister.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/321 FACING UP TO REALITY OF POT Prohibition has proved that making something illegal doesn't end demand for it. Be it alcohol or marijuana, until legally permissible options are made available to users, they will find other ways to obtain what they seek. Yet, nearly 20 years after California voters approved Proposition 215, which legalized the use of marijuana for medical treatment, efforts continue to limit access to medical marijuana, seemingly out of moralistic disdain for marijuana rather than an actual concern for public safety. Still, some cities seem to be changing their tune. Placentia is the latest. There, the City Council moved forward on Tuesday with a law that "calls for one dispensary, one cultivation site, one manufacturing site, one testing lab, one service for transportation between locations and one delivery service," according to the Register. Also contained in the 41-page ordinance are a number of other rules, such as requiring that the dispensary be near Placentia-Linda Hospital and "be at least 600 feet away from any school, church, park, large daycare, library or drug or alcohol rehabilitation center" as well as require "background checks on employees, surveillance cameras at marijuana businesses and odor control," the Register reported. While we are concerned about potential for monopoly under that system, and the more onerous the rules, the pricier the product and the more likely the black market is to continue, the proposed law, which must come back to the council for a second vote in two weeks, is a positive step forward. That's because more than 600,000 signatures were submitted earlier this month to put a marijuana legalization initiative on the statewide November ballot, 200,000 more than necessary. Now is the time to carefully craft policies that allow access while maintaining the character of our communities. Placentia's City Council seems to understand that. "I think it's going to help Placentia avoid a crisis when Sacramento does whatever they are going to do," Councilman Craig Green told the Register. "I think it's a good thing to keep ahead of the curve." Procrastination won't help once statewide legalization occurs. Other cities in Orange County should take note. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom