Pubdate: Wed, 03 Aug 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 PONDERING A POT INITIATIVE Laguna Beach residents will have the option of deciding whether or not to undo the city's ban on medical marijuana dispensaries in November. Still to be determined is exactly what an end to the city's 2009 ban could look like. In April, the council decided to place a citizen initiative on the ballot which would allow up to two dispensaries to operate in the city. This prompted Laguna Beach Police Chief Laura Farinella to author a countermeasure which would allow only one dispensary to operate under tighter restrictions. On July 26, the council was surprised when an attorney for the proponents of the citizen's initiative offered to work with the city on its initiative. "If you're willing to work with us on making the changes, we actually would back down from our ordinance and either help defeat it or help to get it removed off the ballot," attorney Charnel James told the council. On August 8, the council will hold a special meeting to revisit the matter, despite the clear opposition from most of the council. "If somebody needs medical marijuana, that's great - I don't want it in Laguna," said Councilman Rob Zur Schmiede. We encourage the council to at least keep an open mind about working with the proponents, if only for the possibility of developing a proposal that better balances the interests of public safety and safe access to medical marijuana. Ultimately, any move away from a ban is a step in the right direction so long as the resulting policies are practical enough to be implemented and reasonable enough to encourage compliance. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom