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Pismo Beach proposes medical marijuana restrictions

December 12, 2015

prague-potIn an effort to maintain local control as the state increases its jurisdiction of medical marijuana operations, Pismo Beach staff recommends that the City Council continue to allow medical marijuana delivery services, while considering banning cultivation inside the city limits.

In 2007, the Pismo Beach City Council voted in favor of an ordinance prohibiting storefront marijuana dispensaries. Earlier this year, the council voted to continue allowing medical marijuana delivery services.

“Therefore, persons seeking medical marijuana currently have an effective and discrete method of obtaining medical marijuana within the city and action taken by the council relating to this request will not affect that,” a city staff report says.

Three bills Gov. Jerry Brown signed in September create a statewide licensing system for the cultivation, processing and transportation of marijuana. Because of this, many communities including Arroyo Grande have adopted laws prohibiting medical marijuana grows, which invokes local regulatory control before a March 2016 deadline.

Local governments have two basic options related to local control over the cultivation and processing of marijuana, either prohibition or regulation.

Pismo Beach Chief of Police Jake Miller is recommending that the council direct staff to draft an ordinance prohibiting medical marijuana cultivation in the city.

On Tuesday, if the councils votes in favor of banning marijuana grows, a first reading will be presented during a January council meeting, so that a final ordinance will be in place by the March 1, deadline established by the state.


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This is probably a good thing actually. It will help prevent monopolization of the industry and the overbearing regulations from the the group behind the recent legislation


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The whole point of the new laws is to ensure a monopoly over (legal) cultivation, distribution, and sales. Very similar to the laws passed after Prohibition, only far more restrictive.


The local banning of cultivation will force law-abiders to buy their weed, instead of grow it. This funnels more money to the monopoly. Or, they can break the law and open all their assets up to confiscation by the local police. A win-win for the state.


What will happen is a resurgence of the black market. The black market always expands in direct proportion to regulation. The state’s greed will have same effect as in Washington state, where excessive taxation ensures the black market thrives.


Prohibition/regulation works the same way in every industry. Crowd-funding is a similar market response to banking regulation in the financial markets.


What’s amazing is that economics has not changed in a few millennia, like human nature, and yet very few “get it”.


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Unfortunately most of the industry does not see any of this coming.


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Recall!


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To ban cultivation for personal use is a another way of ostracizing the medicinal patient. The black market profiteers are laughing and rejoicing as they count the money.


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Just legalize it already, and stop calling it “Medical” Marijuana, I bet less than 1% have a true medical need for it. Legalize it and tax the hell out of it and put the drug dealers out of business!


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One has to wonder how Mayor Shelly Higginbotham will vote on medical marijuana following her husband’s well publicized arrest for cultivation of marijuana in Price Canyon. Dr. Higginbotham was growing marijuana for his patients, he is an ophthalmologist.


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Come on we all know Dr. Higginbotham gave it to his patients for free or if he sold it, it was a a fair price and he claimed all that income on his tax returns.


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I agree. I am just bringing up the point. Nothing wrong with what Dr. Higginbotham did and he continues to practice medicine.


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FYI: Marijuana was used to treat glaucoma years ago. I am sure Dr. Higgenbotham was well aware and treating his patients appropriately..


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how interesting.

regardless of that even; if she votes in any manner against proper Cannabis progress; she is just another sociopath that has no business in a position of power.


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some people can not afford to purchase marijuana from a dispensary, and so to grow a plant or two as the only way they can afford this drug.


Last I heard you can spend upwards of $400.00 on an ounce of pot, and you thought RX drugs are expensive.


I hope they are saying no cultivation for sale of pot. And that they will leave the folks growing a plant or two alone.


I don’t think Pismo have the man power to go after the personal use people. I do hope they go after the folks growing 400 plants for resale however. If we are going to legalize it, then you need some control over the big time growers, and make sure they are doing it like they are suppose to.


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So now that we are getting over years of senseless prohibition of a reasonable and effective medicine, you are advocating patients not be allowed to have their own small personal garden of medicine. When will you stop? Please give us some kind of reasoning for this. People grow grapes to make their own wine, they make their own beer, can grow other herbs, but you want to stop all growing of marijuana. Are you aware of all the plants people grow that can be poison if consumed, but no ban on them. Ridiculous. Now we will fill the courts and prisons with people who don’t want to buy or sell, just medicate? Ridiculous.


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