Pubdate: Wed, 28 Aug 2013
Source: Napa Valley Register (CA)
Copyright: 2013 Lee Enterprises
Contact:  http://www.napavalleyregister.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/736
Author: Peter Mott
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v13/n431/a08.html

MARIJUANA ISSUE WORTH FIGHTING FOR

The Napa Valley Register Editorial Board's recent commentary 
regarding the state of medicinal marijuana in the city of Napa begs 
further clarification and information. For the past four years, the 
City Council has waited for the federal government and/or the courts 
to sort out the discrepancies between state and federal laws.

It didn't happen. If anything, they got murkier. Unfortunately, state 
law allows a deferment or moratorium on implementing an ordinance for 
a specific period of time, and that time has run out.

The editorial board suggests Napans in need of medicinal marijuana 
have only look to Vallejo, even naming a mobile company there. Do 
they realize Napa's ordinance forbids mobile operations on the advice 
of our police chief due to the vehicles being an easy target to armed 
thieves as they carry large amounts of cash and marijuana?

Where is the Vallejo operation located? What is its security plan? 
How far are they from schools? How transparent are their books? Who 
are their principals? These were all components of Napa's ordinance.

This was information required of the one dispensary we were 
considering approving and, I believe, an issue important to Napans 
who must decide where (out of town) to purchase their medicinal marijuana.

We are now at the same place where we started, and will likely be 
facing the same challenges as four years ago. Without an ordinance, a 
decriminalization or a ban, dispensaries will open just as they have 
done in Vallejo. We will find it necessary to try to shut them down, 
as we have done previously, and we will most likely end up in court 
spending taxpayer dollars we don't want to spend.

If there is one thing I have learned in the last six years it's that 
the wheels of government do, indeed, move slow and the wheels of the 
federal government move slowest. It's been four years, and I believe 
it will easily be four more and then some before we see a national policy.

All of this while the Bill Iversons, the Ryans, the Debbies and the 
others of this world, physically struggle to get through on their 
best day far worse than I do on my worst. There are no easy solutions 
to the medicinal marijuana issue, but it's an issue worth fighting for.

Peter Mott

Mott is vice mayor of Napa.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom