LA QUINTA COMMISSION SUPPORTS POT DISPENSARY BAN

The La Quinta Planning Commission voted 4-0 Tuesday recommending
that medical marijuana dispensaries be barred under La Quinta zoning.

Commissioner Rick Daniels was absent. The City Council first voted
June 5 to declare the dispensaries a "public nuissance," which
prohibits them, but it must also update the zoning code to reflect
that policy.

There are no dispensaries in La Quinta, nor were there any
applications. State law permits the seriously ill to acquire medical
marijuana, while federal law prohibits it.

City officials have called the ban a preemptive policy measure to
prevent ambiguity, or confusion among those who might apply to open
a dispensary.

Some California cities, whether they have dispensary licenses
pending, opt to enact a moratorium before an outright ban. The city
council is expected to visit the commission's recommendation during
its next meeting, on June 19.