CATHEDRAL CITY SEEKS BAN ON POT DISTRIBUTION

Cathedral City took a big step this week toward banning medical
marijuana dispensaries in the city.

In a 3-2 vote during the City Council's study session on Wednesday,
council members directed City Attorney Charles Green to draft a law to
that effect.

"There's many opportunities for people who are ill to get some form of
medication," said Councilman Chuck Vasquez, who voted for coming up
with a ban. "Smoking marijuana is not the only way to deal with these
conditions."

Councilmen Greg Pettis and Paul Marchand voted against a possible
ban.

Pettis said medical marijuana should be legalized under federal and
state laws, and he added the U.S. Food and Drug Administration should
regulate medical marijuana to allow patients to get it from pharmacies.

The vote comes two weeks after an urgency interim ordinance to
establish a moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries was rejected
3-2 by the council.

The moratorium needed a super-majority vote of 4-1 to pass on April 8,
but Pettis and Marchand voted against it.

Pettis then brought forth a motion for city staff to write an
ordinance within 60 days to regulate medical marijuana dispensaries.
His motion also failed 3-2, with Mayor Kathy DeRosa, Mayor Pro Tem
Charles "Bud" England and Vasquez voting against it.

"There are no easy answers," said Marchand.

He said he would like to explore the possibility of regulating
marijuana with strict guidelines because he doesn't want a black
market to start in Cathedral City.

If strict regulations don't work, then he would favor a prohibition,
Marchand said.

Green presented the council with four options during the study
session:

Take no action

Ban medical marijuana dispensaries

Regulate dispensaries, permitted to be within certain
zones

Have a majority of members vote for conditionally permitted medical
marijuana dispensaries to operate within certain zones. However, a
conditionally permitted medical marijuana dispensary would require a
public hearing before the city's Planning Commission and City Council.

Green is expected to bring back the draft of a ban to the City Council
at a future meeting.