NAPA TO VOTE ON MEDICAL POT RULES TUESDAY

After nine months of public hearings and staff analysis, an ordinance
allowing medical marijuana dispensaries in the city of Napa will come
before the City Council Tuesday night.

The council will hold a public hearing at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall on
an ordinance that would set tight rule for allowing one marijuana
dispensary in the coming year, with the prospect of a second clinic
later.

Last September, the council unanimously directed staff to prepare a
medical marijuana ordinance after hearing testimony from locals who
said cannabis helped them in ways that regular pharmaceuticals could
not.

Police Chief Rich Melton warned that some cities had experienced
increased crime around pot clinics. Others testified that cities with
tight rules, such as Sebastopol, had suffered no negative impacts.

The smaller Upvalley cities have all rejected pot clinics, with the
St. Helena City Council killing a proposal last week after hearing a
last-minute upswell of public opposition.

In Napa, the prospect of a marijuana dispensary has generated
relatively little controversy.

All five council members have voiced support for licensing and
regulating an operator.

Councilmember Mark van Gorder cites the benefits that he received
from marijuana when he was fighting cancer. For Councilman Peter
Mott, medical cannabis greatly alleviated an associate's medical symptoms.

Napa's ordinance would allow operators to apply to operate a clinic
in office or industrial zones. The city is setting out many pages of
rules, including background checks and security provisions, that an
applicant would have to meet.

The ordinance would allow someone with a physician's recommendation
to grow marijuana at home for medical use. This provision is part of
state law.

A nonprofit clinic could also arrange for growing to occur in a
secure warehouse.

If an ordinance is adopted, city staff would sift through
applications and recommend one operator to the council for approval.

The city would charge sufficient fees so that applicants paid all
city costs to develop and implement the ordinance.