COUNCIL TO REVISIT MEDICAL MARIJUANA ISSUE MONDAY

Moratorium on dispensaries could be extended another year

BARSTOW * It may be another year before the city's moratorium on
medical marijuana dispensaries in Barstow is either lifted or made permanent.

City staff is recommending the Council extend the moratorium while it
watches the outcome of court cases involving several cities including
Anaheim, and Proposition 19, which involves the legalization of
marijuana and is on the November ballot. The Council is expected to
discuss the moratorium extension and hear from the public Monday.

This will be the third time the Council has discussed the medical
marijuana issue. The Council instituted a 45-day moratorium last
August and extended it another 10 months and 15 days in September.
Monday's vote will be the last time the Council discusses an
extension of the medical marijuana dispensary moratorium, City
Attorney Yvette Abich-Garcia said.

The city attorney pointed out that even if Proposition 19 passes, the
moratorium will be valid because it deals with land use issues.
Proposition 19 would make it legal for anyone over age 21 to possess
up to an ounce of marijuana for personal use.

"If Prop 19 passes in November I will look at the proposition and
determine if there is any conflict," Abich-Garcia said. "The way I
read and understand the moratorium, it's very narrowly drafted to
relate to only dispensaries of medical marijuana."

Staff will also bring to the Council the results of a questionnaire
asking local physicians their opinions on medical marijuana. Nineteen
doctors responded. When asked if they thought marijuana provides
treatment other drugs can't, seven doctors out of 19 said yes.
Fourteen of the doctors who responded to the survey said they hadn't
considered recommending medical marijuana for their patients.

When asked if they thought marijuana is addictive, 18 doctors said
yes. One doctor also stated that most medical conditions can be
managed by existing therapy. Another said the number of patients who
would benefit from medical marijuana is small.

Medical marijuana dispensaries are currently banned in Apple Valley,
Hesperia and Victorville. The San Bernardino County Board of
Supervisors in June extended its moratorium on dispensaries in the
unincorporated county another year.

The moratorium will be discussed at the Council's regular meeting at
7:30 p.m. Monday. The City Council meets in City Council Chambers at
220 East Mountain View Street. A copy of the agenda and staff report
is available online at www.barstowca.org .