RANCHO MIRAGE COUNCIL TOSSES POT DRAFT ORDINANCES

Rancho Mirage could start helping residents who qualify for medical
marijuana to get it from out-of-town dispensaries, rather than
allowing the storefronts to open in the city.

The City Council voted Thursday to throw out two draft ordinances
that had been waiting for a vote since October, when council members
halted a process that would have made theirs the second Coachella
Valley city to allow dispensaries to operate legally.

Mayor Pro Tem Dana Hobart put forward what he called the "Medical
Cannabis Compassionate Access Program" at Thursday's meeting, which
would ban storefront dispensaries and cultivation outside of medical
marijuana collectives.

But the city would allow medical marijuana delivery services to
operate with a business license, and also subsidize travel costs to
dispensaries for qualified patients.

Hobart said, "We want the people to be able to get the medications,
whether it's cannabis or any other medication, that they're entitled to."

The council voted 4-0 for Hobart's proposal, with Councilman Scott
Hines abstaining.

Hines announced before debate began that he had to declare a conflict
of interest, because he had taken a job with a government relations
firm whose clients include one medical marijuana dispensary.

A new ordinance could be brought to a vote at the next council meeting Feb. 3.

Mayor Richard Kite said Hobart's plan was "the best of both worlds,"
for ensuring residents have access without bringing in the higher
crime and other negatives opponents say surround storefront dispensaries.

Jessica McElfresh, an attorney with the firm representing collectives
that have been trying to open storefront dispensaries in Rancho
Mirage, said after the meeting the council's "heart is in the right
place," but delivery services could be harder to regulate than the storefronts.

Her firm's clients include Desert Heart Collective, which was briefly
open in Rancho Mirage before the moratorium was adopted, and Kaya
Holistic Care and Metro Meds, which want to open, but haven't yet.