Jacob Redmond
Well-Known Member
Hip-hop group Cypress Hill gained fame in the 1990s with marijuana-themed songs like "Dr. Greenthumb."
Now one of its members might become a real Dr. Greenthumb after he and 19 other applicants won a city lottery Thursday to put them on a path to legally distribute medical marijuana in Santa Ana.
City officials held the lottery at the Santa Ana City Council Chambers two months after residents voted to legalize and tax medical marijuana shops. Santa Ana will likely become the first city in Orange County to have legally operating medical marijuana dispensaries since most cities banned the operations in recent years.
"I think Santa Ana is willing to take the chance to see if this actually works, kind of like Colorado did with respect to putting the legalization in place," said Cypress Hill rapper Louis Freese, better known as B-Real, who said he plans to name his collective Dr. Greenthumb.
"We want to show ... if done correctly and legally, all the good things that it can bring to the actual city — jobs, revenue stream, more opportunity and quality of medicine."
Now, Freese and the others selected will move on to the regulatory safety permit phase of the application process, in which the Santa Ana Police Department will have 60 days to review the applicants' backgrounds.
Measure BB, the city-crafted measure approved by voters on Nov. 4, repeals the ban on medical marijuana facilities that the City Council approved in 2007 to stem the proliferation of such operations.
The city crafted Measure BB to circumvent a different initiative that sought to repeal the city's ban on medical marijuana collectives and for which supporters had gathered enough signatures for a spot on the ballot.
The city's measure calls for 20 collective applicants to be selected in the lottery, but only permits them to open in two industrial zones, in the southern corners of town near I-405 and the 55. Cultivation will not be allowed.
It also requires a 500-foot separation between collectives, and calls for a 1,000-foot separation from schools, parks and residential zones. The measure initially imposes a 5 percent tax on gross receipts, eventually increasing to 10 percent.
City spokeswoman Tanya Lyon said the city received more than 630 applications. That means the city generated about $1 million in revenue in the application process. The nonrefundable cost to apply was $1,690.
City staff reviewed the applications, and those in accordance with the voter-approved ordinance were entered into the lottery, she said. The next phase, involving a police background check, will cost the lottery winners $12,086 each.
An independent firm hired by the city ran the lottery to ensure impartiality.
Attorney Randall T. Longwith, who is representing applicants, voiced his concerns about the process.
"Instead of going through all of this ... you should be vetting people up front, figuring out who doesn't have a criminal record and all of that, and then have the lottery," said Longwith, who has written petitions for about a dozen Orange County cities in an attempt to put the question of accepting medical marijuana dispensaries on each city's ballot.
City officials, though, said the public lottery was the best way to go.
"We wanted everyone to have a fair, unbiased process in being able to be chosen for one of those locations," said Councilman Sal Tinajero. "I believe we succeeded in that."
Kandice Hawes, founder and director of the Orange County chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, said she was a bit taken aback by the celebratory tone of the event.
"I think it's kind of unfortunate that the guys who got picked kind of seem like they won the lottery; like they were going to make tons of money, and it's really more about serving the patients," said Hawes, who was the principal officer for the committee to support medical marijuana in Santa Ana.
"It kind of seems like the hip-hop music scene is going to be moving to Santa Ana and creating a recreational type market, not medical marijuana."
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Cypress Hill rapper B-Real a winner in Santa Ana's marijuana lottery, now can be a real 'Dr. Greenthumb' - The Orange County Register
Author: Alejandra Molina
Contact: amolina@ocregister.com
Photo Credit: B-Real Facebook Page
Website: Orange County Register: California News, Sports and Entertainment - The Orange County Register
Now one of its members might become a real Dr. Greenthumb after he and 19 other applicants won a city lottery Thursday to put them on a path to legally distribute medical marijuana in Santa Ana.
City officials held the lottery at the Santa Ana City Council Chambers two months after residents voted to legalize and tax medical marijuana shops. Santa Ana will likely become the first city in Orange County to have legally operating medical marijuana dispensaries since most cities banned the operations in recent years.
"I think Santa Ana is willing to take the chance to see if this actually works, kind of like Colorado did with respect to putting the legalization in place," said Cypress Hill rapper Louis Freese, better known as B-Real, who said he plans to name his collective Dr. Greenthumb.
"We want to show ... if done correctly and legally, all the good things that it can bring to the actual city — jobs, revenue stream, more opportunity and quality of medicine."
Now, Freese and the others selected will move on to the regulatory safety permit phase of the application process, in which the Santa Ana Police Department will have 60 days to review the applicants' backgrounds.
Measure BB, the city-crafted measure approved by voters on Nov. 4, repeals the ban on medical marijuana facilities that the City Council approved in 2007 to stem the proliferation of such operations.
The city crafted Measure BB to circumvent a different initiative that sought to repeal the city's ban on medical marijuana collectives and for which supporters had gathered enough signatures for a spot on the ballot.
The city's measure calls for 20 collective applicants to be selected in the lottery, but only permits them to open in two industrial zones, in the southern corners of town near I-405 and the 55. Cultivation will not be allowed.
It also requires a 500-foot separation between collectives, and calls for a 1,000-foot separation from schools, parks and residential zones. The measure initially imposes a 5 percent tax on gross receipts, eventually increasing to 10 percent.
City spokeswoman Tanya Lyon said the city received more than 630 applications. That means the city generated about $1 million in revenue in the application process. The nonrefundable cost to apply was $1,690.
City staff reviewed the applications, and those in accordance with the voter-approved ordinance were entered into the lottery, she said. The next phase, involving a police background check, will cost the lottery winners $12,086 each.
An independent firm hired by the city ran the lottery to ensure impartiality.
Attorney Randall T. Longwith, who is representing applicants, voiced his concerns about the process.
"Instead of going through all of this ... you should be vetting people up front, figuring out who doesn't have a criminal record and all of that, and then have the lottery," said Longwith, who has written petitions for about a dozen Orange County cities in an attempt to put the question of accepting medical marijuana dispensaries on each city's ballot.
City officials, though, said the public lottery was the best way to go.
"We wanted everyone to have a fair, unbiased process in being able to be chosen for one of those locations," said Councilman Sal Tinajero. "I believe we succeeded in that."
Kandice Hawes, founder and director of the Orange County chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, said she was a bit taken aback by the celebratory tone of the event.
"I think it's kind of unfortunate that the guys who got picked kind of seem like they won the lottery; like they were going to make tons of money, and it's really more about serving the patients," said Hawes, who was the principal officer for the committee to support medical marijuana in Santa Ana.
"It kind of seems like the hip-hop music scene is going to be moving to Santa Ana and creating a recreational type market, not medical marijuana."
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Cypress Hill rapper B-Real a winner in Santa Ana's marijuana lottery, now can be a real 'Dr. Greenthumb' - The Orange County Register
Author: Alejandra Molina
Contact: amolina@ocregister.com
Photo Credit: B-Real Facebook Page
Website: Orange County Register: California News, Sports and Entertainment - The Orange County Register
