COSTA MESA WEIGHS MEDICAL POT BAN

City Will Discuss Whether To Place Moratorium On Proposed Marijuana
Dispensaries.

The Costa Mesa City Council will decide tonight whether to follow a number
of Southern California cities in banning the establishment of dispensaries
that distribute medical marijuana.

Both Costa Mesa and Newport Beach have been approached by people interested
in opening medical marijuana facilities. In response, Newport Beach's City
Council in May voted to put a 45-day moratorium on such dispensaries while
the city figures out whether to allow them and, if so, under what conditions.

Costa Mesa City Council members now face the same decision. In a split vote
last month, the Planning Commission recommended a moratorium on marijuana
dispensaries. During the moratorium, the city would create rules under
which people can apply for permits to operate dispensaries.

California law allows the use of marijuana as a medical remedy. However,
officials are still hashing out how that law is affected by a June 6 U.S.
Supreme Court ruling that medical marijuana users can be prosecuted under
federal drug laws.

Planning Commissioner Donn Hall said he proposed that recommendation
because to forbid medical marijuana dispensaries would be tossing the
voters' will out the window.

"It's basically telling them: 'We don't care what you said. We're smarter
than you,'" Hall said.

In spite of the Supreme Court ruling, some organizations are interested in
opening medical marijuana facilities, so the council will have to make a
policy decision on whether to allow them, Costa Mesa City Attorney Kimberly
Hall Barlow said.

"We just feel that in light of the inquiries that have been made, that
particular type of use should be addressed in our code," she said.

Although three of the five planning commissioners supported creating rules
to govern marijuana dispensaries, it's not clear whether the council will
agree.

As a Sheriff's deputy, Mayor Allan Mansoor said he would be concerned about
the increases in crime that other cities with medical marijuana
dispensaries have seen.

"If we're talking about dispensing drugs, that's what we have pharmacies
for," he said. "Let it go through the established route."