SHASTA LAKE WILL CONSIDER LIMITING MEDICAL MARIJUANA CO-OPS

Two weeks after Shasta Lake enacted a 45-day moratorium on medical
marijuana co-operatives, the city tonight will consider permanent
zoning guidelines for the nonprofit groups.

Hours of operation, requirements for security cameras, banning use of
cannabis at the business, placing the collectives appropriate
distances from schools and public parks, and capping the number of
pot dispensaries doing business in the city at two would be included
in the new restrictions.

Tonight's Shasta Lake Planning Commission meeting comes two days
after Shasta County rejected a 45-day ban on collectives in
unincorporated areas while Tehama County approved a similar ban.

Current zoning codes already in place should be able to adequately
cover medical cannabis co-ops, Director of Resource Management Russ
Mull told Shasta County supervisors before Tuesday's decision.

It's the same position Redding has taken. The city basically treats
medical marijuana collectives as pharmacies and requires they do
business in appropriately zoned areas.

But the proliferation of cannabis co-ops in Redding has some business
owners concerned. The number has jumped from four in June to more
than 10 or even 20 today, depending on whom you ask.

Patty Heinz has owned and operated Image West Framing Design in
Mission Square off Bechelli Lane for 18 years. A month ago, Family
Tree Co-Operative opened next to Heinz in the center.

Heinz, who owns her space, fears that a shopping center already
hammered by the recession with about a 30 percent vacancy rate will
suffer more with a cannabis collective as a neighbor.

"These dispensaries bring an element to Mission Square that is
unwelcome," Heinz said in a letter to Bob and Linda Olson, who own
the space where Family Tree operates. "It does nothing for the center
(and) only brings trouble."

Bob and Linda Olson couldn't be reached for comment.

Randy Bright, who owns Redding Trophy Center a few doors down from
Heinz, wishes the city would take a more restrictive stance toward
cannabis co-ops.

"Forget about trying to make money off of these," Bright said
Wednesday at his store. "Let's try to place them in a location where
they won't affect businesses that already are in business. Also,
let's try to keep the numbers at a minimum."

But Greg Lloyd, broker/owner of Real Estate Center in Mission Square,
isn't overly concerned.

"I'm not exactly for it (medical marijuana), but I'm not going to let
it ruin my life, either," Lloyd said.

Lloyd noted there are thousands of vacant square feet of retail space
in Redding, so any landlord would be eager to fill a unit that's been
vacant for months.

"That's business," Lloyd said.

Lloyd said most merchants in Mission Square who have raised concerns
about Family Tree are located near the collective.

Cass Criner, vice president of Family Tree, said they're trying to
run a professional business that respects its neighbors.

"Everything that leaves here is in a prescription bottle or
prescription bag," said Criner, who moved his family from the San
Francisco Bay area to operate Family Tree. The co-op has 35 members.

Criner isn't surprised that his co-op has met some resistance.

"I am more surprised about how many people did support me. As long as
I bring more business to the center, they are happy," Criner said.