Commissiion agrees on new guidelines for medical marijuana

Donna Tam/The Times-Standard

Article Launched: 08/14/2008 01:24:21 AM PDT

The Arcata Planning Commission agreed Tuesday to prohibit medical marijuana dispensaries from purchasing pot from any house or apartment grows.

The restriction is part of a series of guidelines still being finalized. Co-chair Michael Winkler said the commission has reached its final conclusion of what the guidelines will be and city staff will now clean up the guidelines before returning them to the commission for final approval.

”We're really set on where we want to go with this,” Winkler said.

The guidelines are the result of months of discussions and several drafts in an effort to come up with a set of regulations for dispensaries to help ensure access for patients as well as to curb illegal growing activity. The guidelines will require dispensaries to be transparent about their operational standards by submitting an operating manual.

Dennis Turner, CEO of The Humboldt Cooperative, said his dispensary is ready to comply.

”We will do our best to get all our folks on board,” he said. Cooperative representatives have said in the past that many 215 patients sell excess pot to dispensaries in order to offset the costs of growing.

But Turner said the cooperative is ready to move forward with the city's requirements and get all the permits necessary for growing. Turner added that the city will be giving dispensaries one year to comply after the guidelines are improved.
”We should be able to have the time we need to transition with minimal difficulty,” he said.

According to Winkler, the commission also decided to put restrictions on the size and volume of grows and will require dispensaries to annually report and track their sources of medical marijuana.

”Any marijuana that they buy outside will have to come from a source that is in compliance with the jurisdiction in which it's grown,” Winkler said.

The commission also decided that medical marijuana can only be dispensed in commercial zones, which all but one of Arcata's four dispensaries are located in.

The Arcata iCenter is located in an industrial/general area and will have to move, Winkler said, adding that the commission has capped the number of dispensaries at four, but has long-term goals to only have three.

While Winkler acknowledges that it is unclear how state regulations in the works may affect Arcata's guidelines, he is happy with the outcome, which he said will give dispensaries clear rules in which to operate their business in a consistent and predicable manner.

”I think that we have done a job that's fair and compassionate toward medical marijuana patients but also protects the community and minimizes the impact on other community members,” he said.
Turner agreed.

”Overall the city staff did a good job of trying to find a balanced position,” he said.
A copy of the draft guidelines can be found at City of Arcata - Home.

__________________
*For Entertainment Purposes Only.* Remember, spread the love and hit the +rep button. And, check out www.kiva.org