MEDICAL MARIJUANA ISSUE DRAWS SUPERVISORS TO SAN LORENZO

SAN LORENZO -- San Lorenzo residents made it clear Wednesday night that
they do not like the idea of medical marijuana dispensaries in their
community.

Four members of the Alameda County Board of Supervisors met at the
Village Homes Association community center to listen to community
concerns from a crowd of more than 120 people. It was the first-ever
meeting of the supervisors in San Lorenzo.

The county is redrafting its medical marijuana ordinance in response
to new guidelines recently released by state Attorney General Jerry
Brown.

At Wednesday's meeting, Assistant County Counsel Donna Ziegler
outlined the county's current ordinance, which permits three
dispensaries in unincorporated Alameda County, and proposed changes
meant to bring the county into compliance with the new guidelines.

Sheriff's Deputy Paul Liskey gave a presentation and stated that 45
percent of the patients at the dispensaries are 25 years old or
younger. He said in conjunction with the passage of Propostion 215 in
1996, there has been a proliferation of indoor and outdoor marijuana
grows, an increase in marijuana-related arrests and the seizure of 114
firearms locally over the past two years directly related to marijuana.

He also cited burglaries at the dispensaries and the unsolved murder
of Gary Jones, who was fatally shot while being robbed of his medical
marijuana June 28, 2007, shortly after leaving the Compassionate
Collective of Alameda County at 21222 Mission Blvd. in Hayward.

More than 25 speakers addressed the supervisors, and an overwhelming
majority made it known that the dispensaries have been negatively
affecting their quality of life.

"I really feel that we need to have this drug, for lack of a better
word, dispensed in pharmacies," said Janice Jones, the mother of Gary
Jones. She said if her son had purchased marijuana in a pharmacy, he
would probably be alive today.

Some speakers suggested that the county dispense marijuana at Fairmont
Hospital in Ashland. However, Supervisor Nate Miley said this would be
unlikely because the county contracts with the federal government and
must comply with federal law, under which marijuana remains illegal.

Miley, a strong advocate for medical marijuana, said the county was
performing a balancing act between providing access for patients and
maintaining the quality of life of neighborhoods. Supervisors Alice
Lai-Bitker, Gail Steele and Scott Haggerty all said they were
conflicted on the issue, and sympathized with community concerns.

Haggerty suggested another meeting in San Lorenzo for community input
when a draft of the ordinance is complete. No date has been set yet.