MARIJUANA DISPENSARY REGULATION MOVES FORWARD

LAKEPORT -- The Lake County Board of Supervisors agreed Tuesday to
move forward with draft ordinances regulating medical marijuana
dispensaries and cultivation. Community Development director Rick Coel
will bring the amended ordinances, one for dispensaries and one for
cultivation, to the board in a few months for direction before
starting public hearings.

People came forward from the standing-room-only crowd to tell the
board their concerns regarding limitations on edible marijuana
products, whether dispensaries should be allowed in downtown areas,
how much space plants can occupy in residential areas and parcel sizes
for collective grows, among other issues.

Board members asked staff to consider changing a number of things in
the draft ordinance on dispensaries, including ensuring protection of
privacy and records from the Sheriff's Department and public, changing
zoning and permitting requirements and allowing the sale of edible
marijuana, paraphernalia and non-flowering plants.

Supervisors said they don't support allowing dispensaries to be
grandfathered-in, rather giving them 180 days to come into compliance
with the ordinance if and when it passes. More than 20 people spoke
against the ordinance while two Upper Lake High School students out of
dozens in the room asked the board for regulations.

Senior Lisa Irwin said she thinks dispensaries should have rules as
many people gather around the dispensary in Upper Lake. "I think they
should be out of town," Irwin said.

Leah Palmer said the people near the Upper Lake dispensary are
actually congregating outside Dr. Milan Hopkins' office, which writes
prescriptions for medical marijuana. She said once she helped a woman
who had never used marijuana to get to the dispensary nearby and get
help. "I do agree with regulation, but not to remove them from Main
Street because we need safe access," Palmer said. "That's what this is
about."

Joey Luiz of Clearlake said he thinks it's hypocritical to allow
pharmacies to sell narcotics feet away from where they sell toys and
disallow medical marijuana dispensaries in certain zoning areas. He
thinks by strictly regulating dispensaries that the board is putting a
noose around the county and its economy.

"I want to see this community come out of poverty," Luiz
said.

Chairman Anthony Farrington told the crowd the reason the county plans
to regulate medical marijuana is because the "state legislature failed."

Supervisor Rob Brown said he received a lot of calls from people in
his Kelseyville area district who don't want dispensaries there.

For the ordinance on medical marijuana cultivation, board members
considered how much space to allow for grows in residential areas,
parcel size for large cultivations, and permitting
requirements.

Joe Fernandez said he thinks he should be able to grow for his
children on his property if they're unable. He also wants to protect
his neighborhood.

"It takes a lot for me to come up here. I don't want to be looked at
as a criminal," Fernandez said. "I don't want to disrespect my neighbors."

Ken Moss said the only person who should regulate how much medical
marijuana he can use or grow should be his doctor.

"You're trying to legislate something that's already been legislated,"
Moss said. Board members again agreed not to have a committee look at
the issues, as that could take years. Supervisors also decided not to
issue legal notifications for the next meeting, which is not yet
required, but rather to issue press releases and publicize the issue
on the county Website.

Two public hearings will be set later to address the issue.