Editorial: Support Mendocino County Grand Jury Recommendation

Ukiah Daily Journal Staff
Updated: 09/05/2011 07:15:26 PM PDT

We appreciate Supervisor John McCowen's willingness to continue on his own to pursue an ordinance regulating medical marijuana dispensaries in the county now that none of the other supervisors either can or will help out. (Dan Hamburg was right to step aside since his daughter is looking to open a dispensary).

McCowen has an ordinance ready and waiting for comment. It was drawn up more than a year ago but shelved. The 2010-11 Mendocino County Grand Jury cited it in its own call for an ordinance and we think it is a fine starting place.

In fact we like that proposed ordinance as it is written with some recommended changes:

The age for marijuana dispensary employees ought to be raised from 18 to 21.

No one convicted of any felony - not just a "violent felony" as written in the ordinance - ought to be able to own or operate a marijuana dispensary.

We would add that anyone ever convicted of illegal marijuana cultivation should be barred from owning or operating a dispensary.

We would not allow the use of marijuana on the premises of any dispensary.

We would add a provision to the section in which dispensary owners must outline their energy sources for indoor marijuana cultivation to require that they also identify a legal and appropriate source of water for that cultivation.

We don't find in the ordinance as written provision for the sale of edible marijuana products. We believe that those products and their sale should be subject to whatever food safety and health rules are required for any business that cooks, creates or packages food products.

Finally, we believe marijuana dispensaries should be outlawed on any main business street of any town in the county where there is but one primary commercial avenue. Commercial zones in some small towns are very limited and we believe the main drag in the small towns in our county are not a good fit for dispensaries, where other small businesses are depending on tourism and where entire populations of people, including children, shop and hang out.

Like many other aspects of marijuana regulation, this county can lead the way into the future by creating an ordinance now that should satisfy both the medical marijuana sellers and the community at large. We think with some simple changes, the ordinance already on the table can be quickly enacted.

http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/ci_18831668