PLEASANTON, CA: Council delays cannabis club debate

By Meera Pal

CONTRA COSTA TIMES
Article Launched: 04/19/2007 03:06:34 AM PDT

PLEASANTON -- 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 the 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 that he has since been doing his
own research into how dispensaries affect the communities that have them.

"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, Pleasanton Police Chief Michael Fraser and City Attorney
Michael Roush are urging the council to adopt the ban on medical
marijuana dispensaries. 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.

Meera Pal covers Pleasanton. Reach her at 925-847-2120 or
mpal2@....

http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_5702607

DaBronx
www.DaBronxNews.com