SIMI VALLEY'S MORATORIUM ON MEDICAL MARIJUANA CONTINUES

Will a marijuana pharmacy be opening up soon on a street near you? The
Simi Valley City Council last month unanimously passed an urgency
ordinance, placing a 45-day moratorium on allowing such businesses to
open while it studies the matter.

Approved by voters nearly 10 years ago, Prop. 215 makes the medical
use of marijuana legal when prescribed by a doctor. As a result,
medical marijuana dispensaries, also known as cannabis clubs, have
sprung up in areas such as San Francisco and Los Angeles. One Internet
website lists a prescribing doctor in Ventura.

"I feel pretty strongly about the need for a moratorium to study the
issue . . . and make the right decision for Simi Valley," said
Councilmember Michelle Foster.

Police Chief Mark Layhew is expected to have a report to the council
at the April 4 meeting.

Capt. Tony Harper said the department will study towns that have
marijuana dispensaries and offer the council its recommendation.

A typical proposed ordinance is considered at two or more city council
meetings and, if approved, enacted 31 days later. An urgency
ordinance, however, is enforced immediately after the council approves
it.

An unidentified person who recently wanted to open a marijuana
dispensary caused the action .

No specific city ordinance restricts the licensing of such businesses.
So conceivably, a person wanting to open a dispensary could do so and
claim that it's similar to a pharmacy or retail store.

But the idea of marijuana dispensaries operating in Simi Valley has
police officials concerned. According to a report issued by Layhew to
the city council, some cities with marijuana clubs or dispensaries
report criminal activity as a result. Some patients have been
approached by street dealers, for example, to buy marijuana; others
have been robbed as they were leaving the dispensaries.

The medical use of marijuana nevertheless has the support of the
state's medical establishment and lawmakers.

The moratorium will expire April 14.