MEETING ON MARIJUANA

Claremont City Politicians Talk to Dispensary Hopeful

CLAREMONT - Several members of the City Council have met quietly with
a marijuana activist who hopes to open a dispensary in the city.
David Kasakove, a Claremont native who has operated two dispensaries
in Northern California, outlined his vision for a Claremont marijuana
dispensary during individual meetings Friday with three council members.

The city has a moratorium in place that prohibits dispensaries, but
the council is set to revisit the issue in early July. If the council
allows dispensaries to operate in the city, Kasakove hopes that
officials will take his bid seriously.

"What we've done is taught by example," Kasakove said. "If the city
has concerns, we would address those concerns. We're not looking for a
fight with the city at all."

Kasakove, 43, a Humboldt County resident, graduated from Claremont
High School in 1982. Two years ago, former classmates who were aware
of his involvement in medical marijuana suggested that he open a
dispensary in Claremont, Kasakove said.

He closely followed the city's battle with Darrell Kruse, who opened a
dispensary last year against the wishes of the city and adopted a
confrontational attitude in his dealings with public officials.

The city sued Kruse for operating without a business license and
demanded that he close his dispensary. Kruse was ordered by a judge to
shut down in February.

Kasakove decided he would take a different approach.

He bought a $300 suit, and "actually cut my hair for the first time in
40 years," he said. "I wanted to deal with (city officials) on their
level."

On Friday, Kasakove met individually with Mayor Peter Yao,
Councilwoman Ellen Taylor and Councilman Sam Pedroza. The meetings
ranged in length from 30 minutes to one hour.

"There's a big difference between the way these guys are approaching
us and the way Darrell Kruse came into the city, with firebombs and
rockets," Pedroza said.

Kasakove is in the process of creating a nonprofit corporation, called
California Harm Reduction Cooperative, for his Claremont dispensary.

He said Tuesday he is willing to submit to regulations from the city,
including limits on operating hours, limits on the quantity of
marijuana sold per month to each patient, and limits to the proximity
of his dispensary to schools and churches.

He also said that he is willing to open his records to Claremont
police about different strains of marijuana sold and the amount sold
to each patient.

Kasakove formerly ran dispensaries in Eureka and Chico which have
since closed down. He said that in the past 10 years, the state's
medical marijuana program has been taken over by "cowboys" who care
only about money.

Through his Claremont operation, Kasakove said he hopes to create a
template for the ideal dispensary, which could then be replicated
across the state.

Last month the City Council declined to pass a staff-recommended ban
on dispensaries, citing the need for more information on the issue.
Several City Council members gave statements at the meeting that
indicated a willingness to allow dispensaries.

The council will revisit the issue at its July 10 meeting, City
Manager Jeff Parker said. At that meeting, the council will have
ordinances prepared by staff to do one of three things: allow
dispensaries, ban them or extend the moratorium for a year.

"We're here because this council did not want to make a rash decision
about medical marijuana dispensaries in Claremont," Pedroza said. "I
think we wanted to see a lot more thought put into it, and that's what
we're expecting to get at this next council meeting."