CA: Medical Marijuana Supporters To Hold Forum At CSULB

Katelyn Baker

Well-Known Member
Proponents of a Long Beach ballot measure that would legalize medical marijuana will host a forum at Cal State Long Beach on Tuesday.

At the town hall, hosted by members of the Yes on Measure MM campaign committee, experts will answer questions about the measure, including how the industry would be regulated and what security and neighborhood protections would be put into place.

The meeting is 6-8 p.m. in the Sunset Room at The Point, located in the Walter Pyramid.

Adam Hijazi, a board member for the Long Beach Collective Association, will be joined by Dr. Jeffrey Ostriker, who researches medicinal properties of cannabis, and two retired members of the Long Beach Police Department - Randy Hausauer and Mike Schaich.

Measure MM made it onto the Nov. 8 ballot after a group of residents collected approximately 35,000 signatures in support of the initiative, which would repeal a Long Beach ban on medical marijuana businesses and create safeguards for their existence.

The city has generally banned medical marijuana since 2012.

Supporters of MM say the initiative will "establish sensible regulations" for the sale of medical marijuana within the city, giving patients access to "safe, affordable medicine" with "tough" lab testing standards.

Opponents of the measure argue it will "line the pockets" of dispensary owners at the expense of citizens. Former federal prosecutor Marc Greenberg, who wrote the ballot argument against the measure, says that the opening of each legal storefront would prompt some five to seven illegal ones, creating a burden on law enforcement.

Under MM, patients 18 years and older would be able to legally buy medical marijuana. The initiative would limit the number of dispensaries to between 26 to 32 citywide, a to-be-determined number based on population size. The measure would prevent dispensaries from opening near schools, parks, beaches and residential neighborhoods. Operations would also be prohibited after 8 p.m.

The measure includes a 6 percent tax on marijuana sales and a $10 per square foot tax on cultivation, which would generate an estimated $5 million to $7 million in taxes for the city each year. The measure would also repeal a voter-approved tax on recreational marijuana, which California voters may legalize come November.

Measure MM has earned endorsements from U.S. Rep. Alan Lowenthal, D-Long Beach, and city councilmembers Dee Andrews, Jeannine Pearce and Roberto Uranga. The Press-Telegram has also endorsed the measure.

For more information on Measure MM, visit www.longbeachmeasuremm.com.

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News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Medical Marijuana Supporters To Hold Forum At CSULB
Author: Courtney Tompkins
Contact: (562) 435-1161
Photo Credit: Robert Bukaty
Website: Press-Telegram
 
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