The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday is set to extend the moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries in unincorporated areas.
And following the lead of Apple Valley, Hesperia and Victorville, the Adelanto City Council on Wednesday banned marijuana dispensaries within city limits.
County planners want to hold off rolling out any regulations or bans until a series of legal and criminal attempts to thwart dispensaries across California play out.
On Monday, hundreds of Los Angeles dispensaries were ordered to shut down or face civil fines or possible criminal charges, and county officials will be eyeing how that rul- ing gets enforced. An ongoing lawsuit against the city of Anaheim, which banned dispensaries, could set a new precedent for medical marijuana distribution statewide. And an initiative on the November ballot would legalize pot altogether.
"We are still moving forward to develop our ordinance, and we are also waiting on several key legal decisions while also reviewing the ordinances and experiences of other jurisdictions in the development of our own ordinance," county spokesperson Lynne Fischer said.
In 1996, some 56 percent of California voters passed Proposition 215, which made the use of marijuana legal with a doctor's recommendation for certain medical conditions such as cancer, glaucoma and chronic pain.
But Adelanto officials and dozens of other cities and counties who have banned dispensaries note that federal law trumps state law. Marijuana possession or use of any kind remains illegal under federal law.
According to Fischer, the county has issued 410 medical marijuana cards since it began distributing the identification cards in August, after years of resistance.
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: iStockAnalyst
Author: Natasha Lindstrom
Contact: iStockAnalyst
Copyright: 2010 iStockAnalyst
Website: Pot dispensaries blocked by Adelanto, county: Adelanto rolls out ban; county to extend moratorium by another year
And following the lead of Apple Valley, Hesperia and Victorville, the Adelanto City Council on Wednesday banned marijuana dispensaries within city limits.
County planners want to hold off rolling out any regulations or bans until a series of legal and criminal attempts to thwart dispensaries across California play out.
On Monday, hundreds of Los Angeles dispensaries were ordered to shut down or face civil fines or possible criminal charges, and county officials will be eyeing how that rul- ing gets enforced. An ongoing lawsuit against the city of Anaheim, which banned dispensaries, could set a new precedent for medical marijuana distribution statewide. And an initiative on the November ballot would legalize pot altogether.
"We are still moving forward to develop our ordinance, and we are also waiting on several key legal decisions while also reviewing the ordinances and experiences of other jurisdictions in the development of our own ordinance," county spokesperson Lynne Fischer said.
In 1996, some 56 percent of California voters passed Proposition 215, which made the use of marijuana legal with a doctor's recommendation for certain medical conditions such as cancer, glaucoma and chronic pain.
But Adelanto officials and dozens of other cities and counties who have banned dispensaries note that federal law trumps state law. Marijuana possession or use of any kind remains illegal under federal law.
According to Fischer, the county has issued 410 medical marijuana cards since it began distributing the identification cards in August, after years of resistance.
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: iStockAnalyst
Author: Natasha Lindstrom
Contact: iStockAnalyst
Copyright: 2010 iStockAnalyst
Website: Pot dispensaries blocked by Adelanto, county: Adelanto rolls out ban; county to extend moratorium by another year
