A group of medical marijuana activists hopes to one day run Temecula's first legal distributor of the drug.
Temecula's mayor, however, doesn't think the city should reverse its 6-year-old ban on dispensaries, citing concerns about violating federal law.
For now, the Qualified Patients Resource Center on Old Town Front Street will provide information as well as gardening supplies for medical marijuana patients to grow their own medicine, said Director of Operations and Lake Elsinore resident Douglas Lanphere.
Slated to open next month, the 2,000-square-foot center will also offer holistic medicine and chiropractic services. One-hundred fifty patients are already signed up, and Lanphere expects the center to serve 500 to 1,000 patients in the first six months.
Several Temecula businesses are licensed to offer medical marijuana referrals. But Lanphere and his partners want to provide marijuana to patients in need.
"We have to be very conscientious in terms of the production," said Lanphere, who uses marijuana to treat his migraine headaches. "It's not as easy it sounds in terms of throwing a plant into the ground."
Lanphere said improperly grown marijuana could have molds, pollutants and pesticides harmful to patients, especially those with compromised immune systems.
If the center is allowed to distribute marijuana, Lanphere said, the building will have tight security and no one will be allowed to smoke on the property.
Temecula-area patients currently need to drive long distances or turn to the black market to get their medicine, said Lanphere and Tom Wiggins, director of patient services.
Temecula Police Chief Andre O'Harra confirmed that police and city officials are looking into a complaint of an unlicensed city establishment distributing medical marijuana. The probe is not a criminal investigation at this time, he said.
A medical marijuana collective operates in Riverside, although officials there question its legality. Palm Springs is the only city in Riverside County to enact zoning allowing for dispensaries, and many Inland cities have bans similar to Temecula's.
In September 2008, police seized 70 mature marijuana plants from the Temecula home of Martin Victor, who said he was running a 10-person cooperative.
Victor was charged with unlawful cultivation and possession of marijuana for unlawful sale, but a county Superior Court judge dismissed the charges. Victor is now suing the county, which provides police services to Temecula, to get his marijuana back.
California voters first approved medical marijuana in 1996. Temecula's City Council enacted a temporary ban on dispensaries in 2004 and extended it twice before making it permanent in 2006.
Mayor Jeff Comerchero said council members acted on the advice of the city attorney, who warned of a conflict between state and federal law over marijuana's legality.
"I don't see us re-evaluating that issue until something changes," he said. "The federal issue is the main thing."
Comerchero added that medical marijuana patients can get a prescription for Marinol, which contains an isolated extract from the marijuana plant.
But Lanphere and Victor, who is not involved with the center, said Marinol is a synthetic drug that lacks the healing properties of natural cannabis. They added that recent court decisions resolved the state/federal law issue and cleared the way for dispensaries.
Lanphere said he and his supporters will continue to take their case for legalizing dispensaries to the City Council. But he said the center will respect the law.
"We believe in transparency," he said.
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 Magazine - Cannabis Culture News & Reviews
Source: The Press-Enterprise
Author: JEFF HORSEMAN
Copyright: 2010 Press-Enterprise Company
Temecula's mayor, however, doesn't think the city should reverse its 6-year-old ban on dispensaries, citing concerns about violating federal law.
For now, the Qualified Patients Resource Center on Old Town Front Street will provide information as well as gardening supplies for medical marijuana patients to grow their own medicine, said Director of Operations and Lake Elsinore resident Douglas Lanphere.
Slated to open next month, the 2,000-square-foot center will also offer holistic medicine and chiropractic services. One-hundred fifty patients are already signed up, and Lanphere expects the center to serve 500 to 1,000 patients in the first six months.
Several Temecula businesses are licensed to offer medical marijuana referrals. But Lanphere and his partners want to provide marijuana to patients in need.
"We have to be very conscientious in terms of the production," said Lanphere, who uses marijuana to treat his migraine headaches. "It's not as easy it sounds in terms of throwing a plant into the ground."
Lanphere said improperly grown marijuana could have molds, pollutants and pesticides harmful to patients, especially those with compromised immune systems.
If the center is allowed to distribute marijuana, Lanphere said, the building will have tight security and no one will be allowed to smoke on the property.
Temecula-area patients currently need to drive long distances or turn to the black market to get their medicine, said Lanphere and Tom Wiggins, director of patient services.
Temecula Police Chief Andre O'Harra confirmed that police and city officials are looking into a complaint of an unlicensed city establishment distributing medical marijuana. The probe is not a criminal investigation at this time, he said.
A medical marijuana collective operates in Riverside, although officials there question its legality. Palm Springs is the only city in Riverside County to enact zoning allowing for dispensaries, and many Inland cities have bans similar to Temecula's.
In September 2008, police seized 70 mature marijuana plants from the Temecula home of Martin Victor, who said he was running a 10-person cooperative.
Victor was charged with unlawful cultivation and possession of marijuana for unlawful sale, but a county Superior Court judge dismissed the charges. Victor is now suing the county, which provides police services to Temecula, to get his marijuana back.
California voters first approved medical marijuana in 1996. Temecula's City Council enacted a temporary ban on dispensaries in 2004 and extended it twice before making it permanent in 2006.
Mayor Jeff Comerchero said council members acted on the advice of the city attorney, who warned of a conflict between state and federal law over marijuana's legality.
"I don't see us re-evaluating that issue until something changes," he said. "The federal issue is the main thing."
Comerchero added that medical marijuana patients can get a prescription for Marinol, which contains an isolated extract from the marijuana plant.
But Lanphere and Victor, who is not involved with the center, said Marinol is a synthetic drug that lacks the healing properties of natural cannabis. They added that recent court decisions resolved the state/federal law issue and cleared the way for dispensaries.
Lanphere said he and his supporters will continue to take their case for legalizing dispensaries to the City Council. But he said the center will respect the law.
"We believe in transparency," he said.
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 Magazine - Cannabis Culture News & Reviews
Source: The Press-Enterprise
Author: JEFF HORSEMAN
Copyright: 2010 Press-Enterprise Company
