COUNCIL DELAYS MARIJUANA DEBATE

Pleasanton: More Information Sought on Dispensary Ban Issue

For the second time this month, the Pleasanton City Council decided
to continue its discussion of an ordinance that would ban the
operation of medical marijuana dispensaries in town.

City Manager Nelson Fialho said city staff needs more time to gather
information requested by the council.

"We did not have enough time between the last meeting and this
meeting to incorporate (the information) into the public record or
the staff report," Fialho said at Tuesday night's council meeting.

He noted that the city's moratorium on marijuana dispensaries will
remain in effect. That moratorium is due to expire in August.

The proposed ordinance will most likely be brought back before the
council in early June, Fialho said.

At the council's April 3 meeting, Councilman Matt Sullivan made a
request for additional time to consider the medical marijuana
dispensary ordinance.

Sullivan said he has been doing his own research into how
dispensaries affect communities.

"The last time we looked at this, the staff presented all the horror
stories and the bad experiences," he said. "But I felt like there was
maybe another side of the story, where it has been successful."

Sullivan said he would like to make a medical marijuana dispensary
work in the Tri-Valley, if possible. He suggested partnering with
neighboring communities or the county to run a pilot program.

However, Police Chief Michael Fraser and City Attorney Michael Roush
are urging the council to adopt the ban. In their staff report,
Fraser and Roush wrote about armed robberies, burglaries and vagrancy
in other communities with marijuana dispensaries. They also pointed
to cases of dispensary patients or others selling marijuana to people
who aren't legally entitled to use it.

Sullivan said he looked at reports from Americans for Safe Access, a
group that promotes safe and legal access to cannabis for therapeutic
use. He learned about communities such as Santa Rosa and Santa Cruz
that have successful dispensaries.