SIGNATURES DELIVERED TO HALT MARIJUANA LAW

OROVILLE - On the same day a referendum on Butte County's medical
marijuana growing ordinance was placed on the ballot, signatures were
turned in to overturn the county's marijuana dispensary law.

Marijuana advocates turned in 12,025 signatures Tuesday to rescind
the ordinance banning dispensaries in Butte County, or to put it on
the ballot for voters to decide.

Petition supporters had to hand over 7,605 valid signatures to the
clerk of the Board of Supervisors by today to suspend the ordinance.
The dispensary ban will not go into effect Saturday as scheduled.

Instead, the signatures will go to the registrar of voters for
verification. The election staff has 30 days excluding weekends and
holidays to check the signatures.

If the referendum petition does not have enough valid signatures of
voters registered in Butte County, the ban would go into effect
immediately. If the referendum is certified with sufficient
signatures, the Board of Supervisors would take a vote at its next
regularly scheduled meeting to rescind the ordinance or put it to a
vote. Supervisors can call a special election or place it on the
ballot of a scheduled election ballot.

On Oct. 25, the board voted unanimously to adopt the ordinance
banning dispensaries in unincorporated areas of the county.

The existing Butte County zoning ordinance does not allow
dispensaries as a permitted use, therefore they are prohibited, said
Butte County attorney Bruce Alpert. The county plans to continue to
enforce the zoning ordinance prohibition.

On the issue of residential marijuana cultivation, Butte supervisors
took the final step Tuesday to put the ordinance on the June 5
primary election ballot.

The vote came as part of the board's consent agenda during the
panel's regular meeting. Board members did not discuss the item
before they passed it and others with a 5-0 vote.

This past May, the supervisors adopted the hotly-contested ordinance
that places strict restrictions and limitations on medical marijuana
gardens in unincorporated areas of the county.

Almost immediately the measure was the target of a successful
petition drive. The petitioners forced the supervisors to either
rescind the ordinance or put it up for a public vote. The board
decided in August to put it to a vote.