COUNCIL TO STUDY MARIJUANA ISSUE

STOCKTON - Medical-marijuana advocates on Tuesday lobbied City
Council members for cannabis dispensaries before the council voted to
put a moratorium on permits for medical-marijuana businesses while the
council studies the issue.

* Aaron Paradiso, 26, addressed council from his wheelchair. The young
Stockton man told members he's had his marijuana seized by sheriff's
deputies, and that it's unsafe to buy the pain-relieving drug on the
street.

* The Council will revisit the issue during a public hearing within 45
days. The moratorium and hearing are intended to allow city officials
to further evaluate what effect the dispensaries would have.

* Bill Pearce of the Valley Patient Alliance applied for a business
license to open a marijuana dispensary on North California Street. His
request was denied, because the city's zoning code doesn't address the
issue, officials said.

Several of the advocates at City Hall on Tuesday said they don't want
to drive to Oakland to get their doctor-prescribed marijuana.

After Tuesday's 7-0 vote, Pearce said it was the outcome he
expected.

Still, Pearce plans to appeal the city's decision denying his permit,
he said. If council doesn't allow his dispensary, he would file a
lawsuit as a last resort, he said.

San Joaquin Deputy District Attorney Phil Urie said that selling
marijuana -- regardless of whether the buyer is ill -- is illegal
under state law.

Eight years ago, California voters passed Proposition 215, the
Compassionate Use Act, which protects patients and their primary
caregivers from prosecution. The initiative legalized marijuana solely
for medical use.