Jacob Redmond
Well-Known Member
The citizens of Yucca Valley on June 2 will vote on a proposed ordinance that would allow up to two medical marijuana dispensaries to operate legally within town limits.
Getting it to the ballot was the culmination of months of negotiations between town officials and medical marijuana proponents.
Those proponents had circulated a petition, the Medical Marijuana Authorization and Regulation Initiative, in the fall, which garnered more than 2,000 signatures in 74 days, said Jason Elsasser, director of the grassroots medical marijuana advocacy group Alliance 4 Safe Access of Yucca Valley.
On Tuesday, the Town Council unanimously approved a resolution calling for the drafting of a ballot measure and the June 2 special election.
"It's been a really long road. We've been working on this awhile," Elsasser said.
Of the 2,015 signatures on the petition, 1,873 were deemed valid by the county Registrar of Voters Office, meeting the 15 percent threshold of votes required (1,442) to place the measure on a special election ballot, Town Manager Curtis Yakimow said.
A medical marijuana ad hoc subcommittee composed of Councilmen Merl Abel and Robert Lombardo subsequently worked with the medical marijuana proponents, agreeing on an ordinance similar to the one originally proposed, but with stronger regulations to better address public safety and welfare concerns.
The revised ordinance also allows the town to collect fees from dispensary operators to offset the costs of increased public safety and other operational expenses associated with medical marijuana dispensaries, according to a staff report prepared for the Town Council.
The proposed measure would exempt one medical marijuana dispensary per every 10,000 town residents, which would allow two dispensaries spread out among Yucca Valley's 21,700 residents. It would also provide rules and regulations on when and how dispensaries operate.
Dispensary operating standards listed in the proposed ordinance include dispensary hours limited to between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. daily, at least one licensed security guard on the premises at all times during operating hours, and that dispensaries limit their sales to medical marijuana only and not other items including tobacco, pipes, vaporizers and other paraphernalia.
In December 2013, the town shuttered its only legal dispensary, California Alternative Medicinal Solutions, which was typically referred to by its acronym, C.A.M.S., leaving Morongo Basin residents with no safe access to medical marijuana, despite the large demand for it, Elsasser said.
Elsasser subsequently opened the Medical Marijuana Resource Center, providing doctor-approved medical marijuana recommendation cards and referrals to dispensaries outside the Morongo Basin.
In one year, more than 1,000 doctor recommendations were provided to patients, 65 percent of whom were over the age of 55, said Elsasser, who was a happy camper Wednesday.
"I'm proud of the town," Elsasser said. "It wasn't easy, but we were able to come to negotiated terms."
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Yucca Valley to conduct medical marijuana special election
Author: Joe Nelson
Contact: moderator@langnews.com
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: Inland Valley Daily Bulletin: Local News, Sports, Entertainment
Getting it to the ballot was the culmination of months of negotiations between town officials and medical marijuana proponents.
Those proponents had circulated a petition, the Medical Marijuana Authorization and Regulation Initiative, in the fall, which garnered more than 2,000 signatures in 74 days, said Jason Elsasser, director of the grassroots medical marijuana advocacy group Alliance 4 Safe Access of Yucca Valley.
On Tuesday, the Town Council unanimously approved a resolution calling for the drafting of a ballot measure and the June 2 special election.
"It's been a really long road. We've been working on this awhile," Elsasser said.
Of the 2,015 signatures on the petition, 1,873 were deemed valid by the county Registrar of Voters Office, meeting the 15 percent threshold of votes required (1,442) to place the measure on a special election ballot, Town Manager Curtis Yakimow said.
A medical marijuana ad hoc subcommittee composed of Councilmen Merl Abel and Robert Lombardo subsequently worked with the medical marijuana proponents, agreeing on an ordinance similar to the one originally proposed, but with stronger regulations to better address public safety and welfare concerns.
The revised ordinance also allows the town to collect fees from dispensary operators to offset the costs of increased public safety and other operational expenses associated with medical marijuana dispensaries, according to a staff report prepared for the Town Council.
The proposed measure would exempt one medical marijuana dispensary per every 10,000 town residents, which would allow two dispensaries spread out among Yucca Valley's 21,700 residents. It would also provide rules and regulations on when and how dispensaries operate.
Dispensary operating standards listed in the proposed ordinance include dispensary hours limited to between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. daily, at least one licensed security guard on the premises at all times during operating hours, and that dispensaries limit their sales to medical marijuana only and not other items including tobacco, pipes, vaporizers and other paraphernalia.
In December 2013, the town shuttered its only legal dispensary, California Alternative Medicinal Solutions, which was typically referred to by its acronym, C.A.M.S., leaving Morongo Basin residents with no safe access to medical marijuana, despite the large demand for it, Elsasser said.
Elsasser subsequently opened the Medical Marijuana Resource Center, providing doctor-approved medical marijuana recommendation cards and referrals to dispensaries outside the Morongo Basin.
In one year, more than 1,000 doctor recommendations were provided to patients, 65 percent of whom were over the age of 55, said Elsasser, who was a happy camper Wednesday.
"I'm proud of the town," Elsasser said. "It wasn't easy, but we were able to come to negotiated terms."
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Yucca Valley to conduct medical marijuana special election
Author: Joe Nelson
Contact: moderator@langnews.com
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: Inland Valley Daily Bulletin: Local News, Sports, Entertainment
