cannabisnews.com: Council Might Take Lid Off Pot Ruling





Council Might Take Lid Off Pot Ruling
Posted by CN Staff on November 22, 2003 at 17:25:54 PT
By Michelle Meyers, Staff Writer
Source: Daily Review
Hayward -- The City Council might reconsider a decision it made Tuesday that forces the closure of the Hayward Hempery's medical marijuana dispensary. At the request of Mayor Roberta Cooper, who is concerned about "fairness issues," the council is scheduled Tuesday night to decide whether to revisit a surprise decision it made a week before.
Earlier that night, Cooper warned the crowd of medical marijuana proponents to keep testimony brief because the council's ability to make rational decisions drops significantly after 11 p.m. At 11:13 p.m. the council voted unanimously to allow two other dispensaries to continue to operate in downtown Hayward, but not The Hempery. The council was scheduled to consider grandfathering in The Hempery and the Local Patients Cooperative -- both on Foothill Boulevard near B Street -- as part of a compromise agreement that evolved from a city task force on medical marijuana. The dispensaries, including a third that opened recently in the same vicinity on Foothill, have been operating in violation of Hayward's zoning law. Instead, based on the facilities' reputations, the council sanctioned Local Patients Cooperative and the new Hayward Patients' Resource Center (HPRC), a revival of the former B Street Helping Hands Patients' Center. Cooper, who was later contacted by Hempery owner Cheryl Adams, said the council's late decision may have been made unfairly and in haste. She's not sure the city did its part in notifying Adams of the meeting. She also said many dispensary proponents had mistakenly concluded, based on an earlier work session, that the council was going to grandfather in all three existing dispensaries. "We didn't have a deal," she said, chalking up their interpretation to "naivete." Cooper and other council members also said they were dismayed to learn, after the fact, that The Hempery was robbed earlier this month, but Adams didn't report it to police at the urging of HPRC owner Jane Weirick. "Any robbery of any significance should be reported to police," Cooper said. Councilman Joe Hilson said he felt that, by hiding the robbery, people weren't being "straight" with the council. Tuesday's discussion is expected to be quick and purely procedural. If the council wants to reconsider the item, it will be put on a later meeting agenda.Source: Daily Review, The (CA)Author: Michelle Meyers, Staff WritersPublished: Saturday, November 22, 2003 Copyright: 2003 MediaNews Group, Inc.Contact: revlet angnewspapers.comWebsite: http://www.dailyreviewonline.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Medicinal Cannabis Research Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/research.htmHempery Left Out By Council Votehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17845.shtmlRobbers Invade Oakland Pot Clubhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17771.shtmlCannabis Clubs Put Council in Tight Spothttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17694.shtml
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