LOCAL MEDICAL MARIJUANA ADVOCATE REMAINS HOPEFUL

CHINO - A medical marijuana advocate said Monday he is still hopeful
that the city will be open to regulating dispensaries, even after
officials have extended a temporary ban on them.

"I welcome the moratorium and I welcome the regulation," said Darrell
Kruse, who approached the city three times since August and asked
them about regulations on the operation of a medical marijuana dispensary.

As a result of his inquiries, the City Council unanimously enacted a
101/2-month ban on dispensaries at its June 19 meeting, making Chino
at least the 10th city in the Inland Valley to keep out a
prescription marijuana dispensary.

The council's vote extended the initial 45-day ban on such
dispensaries, which was set to expire June 30.

Kruse described a moratorium as a formality cities use to buy time
for purposes of either banning or regulating a dispensary.

He is being sued by Claremont for operating a medical marijuana
dispensary without a business license and was forced to shut down in
February.

He appeared at Chino's June 19 meeting and asked the City Council to
use the moratorium extension to consider regulating a dispensary.

"Allow for marijuana in your city in a safe way, from someone who has
a recommendation from his physician," Kruse said.

Mayor Dennis Yates said the city was caught "between a rock and a
hard spot" because California approved the dispensaries, but yet it
is against federal law to operate them.

Also, he said it's not likely the city's conservative residents would
be open to a dispensary.

"The council has to take that into consideration," Yates
said.

Councilman Tom Haughey said the 5-0 vote was decided after seeking
legal advice on the issue and watching what other cities were doing.

"We're going to follow suit," he said.

Chuck Coe, director of community development, said the additional
time for the ban will allow for the research process to continue and
the city to put together a zoning ordinance.

"It's a use not listed in our zoning code," Coe said. "We had no way
of determining where it was permitted."

At a council meeting in nearby Chino Hills recently, Mayor Gwenn
Norton-Perry suggested a moratorium be established, but City Attorney
Mark Hensley said he didn't feel there was a need to do so.

"Our city attorney believes there's enough rules on the books to
prevent a dispensary," said Councilman Curt Hagman.

Norton-Perry later said it was her second request for Hensley to look
into the subject and that he is researching what the city needs to do
to be sure a dispensary won't open in Chino Hills.

But Kruse, who lives in an unincorporated area outside Chino, said he
will wait to see how Chino officials vote at the end of the
moratorium and abide by any laws they pass.

"The best thing they can do is to come up with the proper place to
have it," Kruse said.