HUNTINGTON BEACH – Medical marijuana shops will have to shut their doors in January or face a fine, county officials said Tuesday.
The future of Sunset Beach's medical marijuana dispensaries has been hazy for months as Huntington Beach officials worked through the annexation process of the 84-acre county island.
The Orange County Board of Supervisors last month voted to ban medical marijuana dispensaries in all unincorporated areas of the county and has sent letters to dispensary owners saying they need to close by Jan. 7 or face a misdemeanor charge, said Debbie Kroner, spokeswoman for Orange County Public Works.
Huntington Beach does not allow dispensaries but officials had said any that were operating legally and with a county permit could stay. County officials say this means every Sunset Beach dispensary would be closed after annexation whether or not the county's ban was in place.
"None of them can be grandfathered in," Kroner said. "None of them have a permit (with the county)."
Craig Hansen, a collective owner, says he will fight to stay in Sunset Beach. He said he has obtained the proper state certifications showing his Pacific Coast Highway dispensary is a certified nonprofit.
"They'll have to drag me out," he said.
Medical marijuana is allowed by the state but is illegal according to federal law. Most Orange County cities have placed a ban on medical marijuana dispensaries because of the discrepancy between the state and federal government.
Huntington Beach had wrestled with what would become of the dispensaries that had found their way into the quaint ocean-front town. Many blend in with the Sunset Beach neighborhoods with little or no signage and operate out of a small home or office building.
Scott Hess, director of planning for Huntington Beach, said in an email that the city does not allow marijuana dispensaries based on the Sunset Beach Specific Plan, which was approved when the annexation was finalized by city officials. Hess said the plan is awaiting certification from the California Coastal Commission, which is expected to take about six months.
After it is certified, the city plans to enforce the ban, Hess wrote.
Kroner said the county is in the process of sending letters to all dispensaries and added it is unclear how many are operating in Sunset Beach.
"We don't have an exact number," she said. "A lot of them move around and operate under different names."
There are 11 known dispensaries in Orange County and none have a conditional use permit; however, there were no explicit county rules that laid out criteria for collectives.
Hansen in September took over one of the more high profile dispensaries in the community, formerly called West Coast County Collective. He said his business so far has about 700 patients and about 60 percent are senior citizens.
Patients of medicinal marijuana need authorization from a physician.
"We have everything from retired lawyers and doctors to school teachers," he said. "(My patients) are really upset."
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: The Orange County Register
Author: JAIMEE LYNN FLETCHER
Contact: The Orange County Register
Copyright: 2010 Orange County Register Communications
Website: Pot shops to be forced closed in Sunset Beach
The future of Sunset Beach's medical marijuana dispensaries has been hazy for months as Huntington Beach officials worked through the annexation process of the 84-acre county island.
The Orange County Board of Supervisors last month voted to ban medical marijuana dispensaries in all unincorporated areas of the county and has sent letters to dispensary owners saying they need to close by Jan. 7 or face a misdemeanor charge, said Debbie Kroner, spokeswoman for Orange County Public Works.
Huntington Beach does not allow dispensaries but officials had said any that were operating legally and with a county permit could stay. County officials say this means every Sunset Beach dispensary would be closed after annexation whether or not the county's ban was in place.
"None of them can be grandfathered in," Kroner said. "None of them have a permit (with the county)."
Craig Hansen, a collective owner, says he will fight to stay in Sunset Beach. He said he has obtained the proper state certifications showing his Pacific Coast Highway dispensary is a certified nonprofit.
"They'll have to drag me out," he said.
Medical marijuana is allowed by the state but is illegal according to federal law. Most Orange County cities have placed a ban on medical marijuana dispensaries because of the discrepancy between the state and federal government.
Huntington Beach had wrestled with what would become of the dispensaries that had found their way into the quaint ocean-front town. Many blend in with the Sunset Beach neighborhoods with little or no signage and operate out of a small home or office building.
Scott Hess, director of planning for Huntington Beach, said in an email that the city does not allow marijuana dispensaries based on the Sunset Beach Specific Plan, which was approved when the annexation was finalized by city officials. Hess said the plan is awaiting certification from the California Coastal Commission, which is expected to take about six months.
After it is certified, the city plans to enforce the ban, Hess wrote.
Kroner said the county is in the process of sending letters to all dispensaries and added it is unclear how many are operating in Sunset Beach.
"We don't have an exact number," she said. "A lot of them move around and operate under different names."
There are 11 known dispensaries in Orange County and none have a conditional use permit; however, there were no explicit county rules that laid out criteria for collectives.
Hansen in September took over one of the more high profile dispensaries in the community, formerly called West Coast County Collective. He said his business so far has about 700 patients and about 60 percent are senior citizens.
Patients of medicinal marijuana need authorization from a physician.
"We have everything from retired lawyers and doctors to school teachers," he said. "(My patients) are really upset."
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: The Orange County Register
Author: JAIMEE LYNN FLETCHER
Contact: The Orange County Register
Copyright: 2010 Orange County Register Communications
Website: Pot shops to be forced closed in Sunset Beach
