YUCAIPA CITY COUNCIL BANS MARIJUANA DISPENSARIES

YUCAIPA - A temporary ban on medical marijuana dispensaries in Yucaipa
is now permanent.

The Yucaipa City Council on Monday night adopted an ordinance that
prohibits medical marijuana dispensaries. The vote was 3-0, with
Councilmen Allan Drusys and Tom Masner absent. There was no discussion
or public comment.

The ordinance goes into effect in 30 days.

The city established a one-year moratorium on medical marijuana
dispensaries in May 2008. On Aug. 10, the council approved the first
reading of the ordinance that permanently bans dispensaries. The vote
was 3-1, with Drusys voting no. Councilwoman Denise Hoyt was absent.

Drusys said at the time that this should be a matter between a
physician and the patient's pharmacist and to take such a broad
approach to medical marijuana was doing a disservice to patients.

A staff report to the council states that under state Prop. 215, the
Compassionate Use Act of 1996, qualified individuals have the legal
right to possess, use and cultivate marijuana for their own medical
purposes access to medical marijuana.

"However, this initiative did not provide the right for individuals to
establish medical marijuana dispensaries, stores, or co-ops as a means
of distributing marijuana to 'qualified individuals,' " the report
states.