LEADERS SQUABBLE OVER MEDICAL MARIJUANA, YET AGAIN

Santa Barbara city leaders officially approved new regulations for
medical marijuana dispensaries and agreed to place a measure on the
November ballot that would ban pot shops, but not without heated
bickering among those on the dais.

As they took the final step in a long and time-consuming process to
reach a compromise on the controversial issue, members of the council
reiterated oft-repeated arguments and sparred over ballot language.

"I would say it's erring on the side of being too restrictive,"
Councilmember Das Williams said of the new regulations.

He went on to describe an outright ban as a misplaced effort to
address community concerns about illicit marijuana use.

Butting heads once again with his colleague, Councilmember Dale
Francisco spoke out against the concept of a storefront medical
marijuana dispensary.

"The only form of legal marijuana is under the Compassionate Use Act,
which doesn't allow retail sales," he said. "That is my fundamental
problem with marijuana dispensaries, because most, if not all,
dispensaries are retail stores."

The council ultimately adopted the new regulations, which will allow
only three dispensaries within city limits, among numerous other
restrictions.

Later in the meeting, city leaders took up the ballot measure that
would ban storefront dispensaries. In order to achieve the five
necessary votes to pass new regulations, the council had agreed to
place the item on the ballot.

But that didn't prevent city leaders from battling over the measure's
language.

City Attorney Steve Wiley penned the ballot measure to read, "Shall an
ordinance to amend the City's Zoning Ordinance to prohibit the
operation or maintenance of storefront medical marijuana dispensaries
within the City of Santa Barbara be adopted?"

Councilmember Frank Hotchkiss wanted to drop the reference to the
city's zoning ordinance for the sake of clarity, while Mayor Helene
Schneider asked that the title include the word "collectives" to
reflect language in the city's newly approved regulations on
dispensaries.

That set off a heated discussion that, at one point, had Williams and
Francisco trading barbs about being lectured by one another. After
half an hour of bickering, the council finally went forward with
Wiley's original language.

Councilmember Grant House cast the sole vote against each item -- the
ballot measure and the new regulations -- calling it unfair that two
dispensaries previously permitted by the city will be forced to
relocate or close within six months.