MEDICAL POT DISPENSARIES TO BE DISCUSSED

PLACERVILLE - The City Council agreed to discussions with medical
marijuana advocates who urged the council to allow dispensaries to
operate in the city.

The council tabled a recommendation Tuesday by city staff members to
repeal an ordinance allowing medical marijuana dispensaries in certain
areas.

In November 2004, the council approved a dispensary on Main Street,
provided the U.S. Supreme Court or Congress determined the federal
government could not interfere with dispensaries permitted under state
law, or marijuana was reclassified as a regulated, rather than a
prohibited substance.

The Supreme Court has since ruled that federal laws prohibiting
cultivation and use of marijuana may be enforced despite state laws
allowing use and cultivation for medical purposes, so City
Manager-Attorney John Driscoll recommended the council ban
dispensaries.

Driscoll said, however, neither the city nor city officials would
incur any legal risk by allowing dispensaries.