cannabisnews.com: County To Weigh a Moratorium on Marijuana Shops County To Weigh a Moratorium on Marijuana Shops Posted by CN Staff on September 21, 2004 at 09:40:01 PT By Cameron Jahn -- Bee Staff Writer Source: Sacramento Bee The battle over medical marijuana is smoking again, this time in Sacramento County, where the Board of Supervisors is scheduled to decide today whether to put a moratorium on dispensaries for the drug.The county is the latest governmental body in the region to tackle the medical marijuana issue. While Californians in 1996 adopted a measure in support of medical marijuana - and the Legislature allowed operation of dispensaries for those with prescriptions - the federal government maintains the drug is still illegal. Local governments across the region have scrambled to write new rules for cannabis shops as proposals for dispensaries roll in.Citrus Heights, Elk Grove, Roseville and Auburn have passed ordinances to regulate dispensaries, while Davis, Dixon and Rancho Cordova have passed moratoriums. Rocklin has banned cannabis sales outright.Sacramento County Counsel Robert Ryan said medical marijuana dispensaries are illegal in the unincorporated area because they are not mentioned in the county's zoning code. However, medicinal marijuana advocates argue dispensaries need no more regulation than do pharmacies."We do understand the need for zoning and regulation, and that can in many cases help the patient," said Nathan Sands, Sacramento representative for Compassionate Coalition, a pro-medical marijuana organization with branches in Redding, Stan islaus and San Joaquin counties. "Unfortunately, cities have been unable to adopt fair regulations."Snipped: Complete Article: http://www.sacbee.com/content/politics/local_government/story/10821330p-11739304c.htmlSource: Sacramento Bee (CA)Author: Cameron Jahn -- Bee Staff WriterPublished: Tuesday, September 21, 2004Copyright: 2004 The Sacramento BeeContact: opinion sacbee.comWebsite: http://www.sacbee.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Medicinal Cannabis Research Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/research.htmRocklin Makes Pot Ban Permanenthttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19199.shtmlRocklin Bans Medical Pot Salehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19029.shtmlRoseville Plan Would Limit New Pot Shopshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18877.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #1 posted by FoM on September 21, 2004 at 16:59:25 PT Related Article from The Sacramento Bee Sacramento County Temporarily Bans Medical Marijuana ShopsBy Cameron Jahn -- Bee Staff WriterTuesday, September 21, 2004Sacramento County officials on Tuesday agreed to a 30-day ban on medical marijuana shops to give themselves a month to decide how to regulate sales of the drug. Following the lead of other local governments, the Board of Supervisors agreed to the ban on medicinal cannabis dispensaries in order to devise a plan to keep neighborhoods, store owners and residents safe, officials said. A new state law allows primary care physicians to administer marijuana to patients with a doctor's prescription, but local governments across the region have found themselves largely unprepared to handle the growing number of requests to open cannabis dispensaries.Snipped:Complete Title: http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/10821505p-11739468c.html [ Post Comment ] Post Comment