Mayor Sanders Still Has Eye on Closing Marijuana Dispensaries

During the San Diego City Council’s October 11 meeting, the decision was made to hold off on calling for a moratorium on the opening of new medical marijuana dispensaries in San Diego. Instead, the council moved to adopt an independent budget analyst's recommendation for further research.

The San Diego County Grand Jury issued a report to the mayor and the city council in September after receiving numerous complaints about criminal activity surrounding the dispensaries. The grand jury addressed San Diego's need to find a balance for the legitimate medical marijuana patient and the concerns of residents in the areas containing dispensaries.

The grand-jury report advises San Diego to place a moratorium or ban on the opening of any new storefront dispensaries until a set of guidelines governing the operations and locations are enacted.

Mayor Sanders stated in his issued response to the report that San Diego did not have the authority for a moratorium because the dispensaries themselves are not set up legally; the mayor declared that, under municipal code §12.0102, the City has the power to close down the dispensaries.

The Land Use and Housing Committee and the city attorney are in the process of amending the municipal code and setting up ordinances for zoning and operations of the dispensaries.

photo credit: Laurie Avocado