Nyssa - Nyssa City Council members listened to Stormy Ray's plea to lift the city's ban on medical marijuana dispensaries but took no action at its meeting Tuesday evening.
Council President Ross Ballard he would not propose any action to lift the ban. There was no response from other councilors.
Ray, who was the chief petitioner for Oregon's Medical Marijuana law, has been making the rounds at Malheur County Court and city councils in Ontario and Vale, as well as Nyssa, asking them to lift bans on medical marijuana dispensaries. The cities and the county opted this spring to place a temporary moratorium on dispensaries, which are legal under state law.
Those bans expire, per state law, May 1.
"There are a lot of medical properties in marijuana," Ray said.
She invited the Council to watch videos online to see how some patients are being helped by marijuana. Some people have to hide their medications because of opposition, she said.
At dispensaries, medical marijuana is tested and graded, so consumers know what they are getting, Ray said. That is not true for product purchased from the black market and other sources.
"With the ban on dispensaries, the city has clobbered our patient," Ray said.
She went on to say she and other medical marijuana users did not support Ballot Measure 91, which will recreationalize marijuana use.
"We didn't feel it was done well," Ray said. "Their program and our program are different."
Ballard, who was presiding in the absence of Mayor Mark Stringer, said the City Council is waiting to see what the Legislature will do, following the passage of Measure 91, before proceeding any further on the issue.
Ray said the Council would be seeing her again.
A proposed ordinance, which has yet to have a formal hearing and which would govern where dispensaries could be located in the city, will not be back on the Council agenda for at least several months, Ballard said. That proposal drew criticism when it was read at the Council's November meeting.
News Moderator: Shandar @ 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: Argus Observer | Ontario, OR
Author: Larry Meyer, The Argus Observer
Contact: 541-889-5387
Website: Nyssa won?t budge on dispensary ban - Argus Observer | Ontario, OR: News
Council President Ross Ballard he would not propose any action to lift the ban. There was no response from other councilors.
Ray, who was the chief petitioner for Oregon's Medical Marijuana law, has been making the rounds at Malheur County Court and city councils in Ontario and Vale, as well as Nyssa, asking them to lift bans on medical marijuana dispensaries. The cities and the county opted this spring to place a temporary moratorium on dispensaries, which are legal under state law.
Those bans expire, per state law, May 1.
"There are a lot of medical properties in marijuana," Ray said.
She invited the Council to watch videos online to see how some patients are being helped by marijuana. Some people have to hide their medications because of opposition, she said.
At dispensaries, medical marijuana is tested and graded, so consumers know what they are getting, Ray said. That is not true for product purchased from the black market and other sources.
"With the ban on dispensaries, the city has clobbered our patient," Ray said.
She went on to say she and other medical marijuana users did not support Ballot Measure 91, which will recreationalize marijuana use.
"We didn't feel it was done well," Ray said. "Their program and our program are different."
Ballard, who was presiding in the absence of Mayor Mark Stringer, said the City Council is waiting to see what the Legislature will do, following the passage of Measure 91, before proceeding any further on the issue.
Ray said the Council would be seeing her again.
A proposed ordinance, which has yet to have a formal hearing and which would govern where dispensaries could be located in the city, will not be back on the Council agenda for at least several months, Ballard said. That proposal drew criticism when it was read at the Council's November meeting.
News Moderator: Shandar @ 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: Argus Observer | Ontario, OR
Author: Larry Meyer, The Argus Observer
Contact: 541-889-5387
Website: Nyssa won?t budge on dispensary ban - Argus Observer | Ontario, OR: News
