Other panelists at tonight’s meeting included City Manager Leslie Keane, Dr. Bill Schwied, nurse and medical cannabis patient Margo Bouer, and recently retired O.C. County Superior Court Judge Jim Gray. Judge Gray is a leading spokesperson for cannabis and medical cannabis law reform. His eloquent comments drew loud applause from the crowd of almost 200 seniors.

The ordinance in Laguna Woods is an important historic development, but it is also in need of improvement. The single collective authorized may only serve residents of the city between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM. The ordinance also requires the still hypothetical collective to be located 1,000 feet from a very broad range of uses, including a “youth oriented establishment” – a hopelessly subjective term that could apply to a 7-11 store, shopping mall, or pizza parlor.

Even regulations adopted for a city of only 18,000 senior citizens can have unanticipated impact on implementation in other cities and counties. Observant advocates will recognize many of the provisions of the Laguna Hills ordinance in recommendations for permanent regulations sent to the full City Council by the Los Angeles Planning and Land Use Management (PLUM) Committee this week.

Read the entire post on the ASA blog – Medical Cannabis: Voices from the Frontlines.

Councilmember Steve Cohn

Sacramento City Councilmember Steve Cohn told the Sacramento Bee that the City Council may vote to adopt a moratorium on new medical cannabis collectives and cooperatives as soon as June 2. “It’s not that we don’t want any marijuana dispensaries,” the Councilmember told reporter Ryan Lillis, “What it means is, we already have quite a few in the city, and we want to take a timeout and see where we’re at.” Advocates in Sacramento have expected a moratorium since the number of patients’ associations mushroomed in that city over the last year.

Lanette Davies, the Sacramento coordinator for Americans for Safe Access (ASA), and other local advocates have been talking with elected officials there about adopting sensible regulations and preventing the kind of public backlash that the proliferation of storefront collectives and cooperatives generated in other cities. Improving local regulations is an important goal of ASA’s California Campaign, and research shows that sensible guidelines reduce crime and complaints around facilities.

Patients, advocates, and lawmakers there are grappling with many of the same issues that we have encountered here in California – how best to distribute medicine, prevent abuse, and enforce the law. In response to pressure from Sensible Colorado and other advocates, the Board of Health recently postponed a vote that would have limited primary caregivers to supplying medicine to only five patients each. That would have been a stumbling block for the state’s nascent dispensary system, which has grown tremendously in recent years.

I was encouraged to see thousands of people marching for cannabis and medical cannabis law reform when I last visited Denver for the Democratic National Convention in 2008. This kind of grassroots organizing bodes well for patients in the state. I encourage those in Colorado and across the nation to support Sensible Colorado and the important work they are doing.

Readers in Colorado are welcome to join us for the anniversary celebration at the Atlantis Community Center located at 201 S. Cherokee St., Denver 80223. The celebration will be on Saturday, May 23, from 6-9:00 PM, with an awards ceremony at 7:00 PM. Light hors d’oeuvres and drinks will be served.  This is a free non-smoking event.

You can also visit Sensible Colorado online or call (720) 890-4247 for more information