RANCHO MIRAGE COUNCIL CONTINUES VOTE ON MARIJUANA DISPENSARIES

The Rancho Mirage City Council again put off a scheduled vote on how
to regulate medical marijuana dispensaries when it met Thursday.

The matter was continued to the Nov. 18 meeting without further
discussion from the council or the public, before the council headed
into a closed session to discuss legal issues, which likely include
this one.

Council members would not specify which aspects of the proposed
dispensary regulations were being discussed.

"We still have more work to do on the ordinance, and we'll continue
working on it until we have have it right," Mayor Richard Kite said
after the public meeting. "We want to do what is right for the
residents of Rancho Mirage, and the businesses of Rancho Mirage."

The city had been trying to resolve this issue since mid-September,
after a medical marijuana collective had opened a dispensary in the
city despite the city's denial of a business license.

The council imposed a 45-day moratorium on all dispensary operations
as an interim measure and extended that by another 45 days at its Oct.
21 meeting.

Before that Rancho Mirage had no laws specifically regulating
dispensaries. Officials say recent court rulings are making it more
difficult to ban them entirely, as every Coachella Valley city besides
Palm Springs has done.

Medical marijuana providers and advocates have been watching the
Rancho Mirage process closely and showing up at ever public meeting.
Opponents and concerned residents have not, sending their messages
directly to council members instead.

Indian Wells resident Sam Anderson delivers marijuana-laced ice cream
to patients throughout the area and has been to several of the meetings.

"I don't think it's a bad thing that they're taking more time. At
least they're considering it, and many people don't," he said.

He hasn't lost faith they will say yes -- yet.

"I believe that let's say hope that they will pass an ordinance. It's
iffy, but I think it looks like they will."