DOPE DECISION FACING ARCATA

The Arcata City Council's moratorium on the establishment of new
medical marijuana dispensaries in the city -- pending staff research
into zoning law changes not only for the sale of pot, but growing and
processing it as well -- is a responsible move.

Not only must the council find a way to exert needed local controls
amid a complicated California law, Proposition 215, that has so many
holes that it allows a virtually unfettered market for marijuana. It
also must recognize the dangers to its community. Arcata is on a
slippery slope to becoming the doper capital of the North Coast, if
it hasn't reached that status already.

Arcata needs to make a decision about what kind of city it wants to
be. It's not hard to envision Arcata turning into a town like
Mendocino, where instead of streets full of art galleries, B&Bs,
restaurants and real estate offices, Arcata will feature pot
supermarkets, Home Depot-like hydroponics supply warehouses, bong
shops and neighborhoods full of grow houses.

Although the moratorium is only for 45 days, with perhaps a limited
extension, the pot community is already in hysterics, demanding the
council be recalled. If that happens, we'd expect a backlash from
other residents who will say, "No more Mr. Nice Guy," and demand even
harsher restrictions than those in the works.

In the year that Arcata is celebrating its 150th anniversary, most
residents of that center for Humboldt County's intellectual and
artistic life do not want it to become choked in a cannabis fog. The
council is right to stand up for a future that envisions more than a
215 card in every pocket.