COUNCIL SUPPORTS MEDICAL POT RULES WITH SOME CHANGES

LONG BEACH - The City Council put its support behind much of City
Attorney Bob Shannon's draft ordinance to regulate medical marijuana
collectives Tuesday, but cut some of the more restrictive
requirements from the law.

Council members have been urgently working to create a way to control
the growth of the collectives, which are estimated at 50 to 60 in
Long Beach, and resisted the urging Tuesday by some members of the
public and by council members Rae Gabelich and Dee Andrews to return
it to committee for more discussion.

The council voted unanimously to have Shannon make changes to the
ordinance. The changes were suggested by Councilman Gary DeLong and
echoed the views of several other council members.

However, several council members indicated they still had concerns
and changes to make to the ordinance, which will return to the
council again as a draft in the coming weeks.

"We've gone from a one size fits all to a one size fits none," DeLong
said of Shannon's proposed ordinance.

The changes included, among others, allowing collectives in mixed-use
areas; removing prohibitions against having collectives within 1,000
feet of libraries and parks; improving patient privacy issues so as
to not identify every member of a collective; giving a grace period
for existing collectives to comply once the law goes into effect; and
allowing collective patients to grow marijuana in their homes.

The law would still prohibit collectives in residential areas or
within 1,000 feet of schools, licensed child-care facilities,
playgrounds, youth centers or other collectives; limits hours of
operation to between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m.; and restrict marijuana
distribution to collective members only.

Medical marijuana patients and collective members spoke out Tuesday
against parts of the law initially proposed by Shannon, especially
the requirement that all members be named and the 1,000-feet rule.

Attorney Rick Brizendine, who represents Belmont Shore Natural Care
medical marijuana collective on Second Street, called the proposed
requirements "onerous," especially the location restrictions.

"It would exclude so many areas as to make it nearly impossible for
some patients to obtain their medicine," Brizendine said.

Neighbors of the collectives have raised safety concerns about that,
noting the appearance of shady characters who appear to be acquiring
medical marijuana for recreational use, rather than medicinal purposes.

"I have no problem with medical marijuana. It serves a good purpose,"
said California Heights resident Vernon Geiger. He added, however,
that a collective next to his apartment building has created parking
problems and said "having three dispensaries within a quarter of a
mile of my residence is ridiculous."

The number of marijuana collectives has exploded in recent months
after the federal government announced a policy that it won't
prosecute collectives that are following state law, despite all
marijuana being illegal at the federal level.

Long Beach's estimated 50 to 60 collectives are much fewer in number
in comparison to the more than 800 in Los Angeles. California voters
approved Proposition 215 in 1996 to allow the use of marijuana for
medicinal purposes. Collectives must register with the state, but the
law allows local governments to create their own regulations as well.

Numerous state, county and city officials in California - including
Long Beach City Prosecutor Tom Reeves - have said they believe many
collectives are selling the drug, which isn't permitted under the
state's medical marijuana laws. Los Angeles County District Attorney
Steve Cooley has said he plans to prosecute collectives that are
violating state law.