WILL A SECOND POT CLUB BE COMING TO NOVATO?

A man who has been trying to open a medical marijuana collective in
Novato the past six months is watching intently as the city deals with
the Apela Collective, a so-called pot club that opened on the south
side of town in January.

One month earlier, William Ringgold of the Ringgold Foundation spoke
before the Novato City Council and expressed interest in opening a
dispensary. His appearance there was designed to be a sign that he
wants to be up front and fully legal before he finds a place to lease.

"I am really concerned about how it's going to turn out with Apela
because they didn't go through the steps we went through," said
Ringgold, who lives in San Francisco. "It seems like they didn't go
through the right channels. We've come to the city, gone directly to
the City Council and told them what we're intending and what we're
hoping to do. I think we have pretty strong odds (of opening).
Honestly, I'm just trying to find a place that's acceptable."

When Ringgold considered opening a collective along Grant Avenue in
the Old Town portion of Novato, "some business owners got very
concerned," said Elizabeth Dunn of the city's planning department. He
has also looked in Bel Marin Keys, which is an unincorporated section
of Novato.

Ringgold said battling preconceived notions about marijuana is the
toughest public relations job. Finding a property owner who is
sympathetic to the cause of cancer patients - or is a cancer survivor
himself - would be beneficial. But having politicians who understand
the medicinal qualities of cannabis and are convinced that a
dispensary isn't just trying to sell pot would be even better, he said.

"If people see that we're going about this the right way, establishing
relations with the City Council, city staff and police, being up front
with our intentions, being honest on the lease agreement, then that
would bring a lot of credibility to our cause," he said.