By Brian Babcock, Saratoga News
Posted: 11/24/2009 02:15:03 PM PST
http://tinyurl.com/y9rtnsl
With a quick discussion and vote, the Saratoga City Council has bought time to figure out what to do about medical marijuana dispensaries, which have been popping up in cities around the Bay Area for years.
There will be no dispensaries opening up in Saratoga — at least for the next 45 days — as a result of an interim urgency ordinance the council unanimously approved at its Nov. 18 meeting. The town of Los Gatos approved a similar moratorium last month.
The Saratoga City Council also has the ability to extend a decision on the issue for as long as two years, said city attorney Richard Taylor.
The city has fielded "several inquiries from prospective medical marijuana dispensary operators," community development director John Livingstone wrote in a report to the council.
The city of Saratoga's code does not specifically address medical marijuana dispensaries as a permitted or conditionally permitted use in any zoning district, Livingstone said. The city also does not have regulations in place regarding licensing for anyone seeking to establish a dispensary.
Cities that have permitted dispensaries have seen a rise in crime, ranging from loitering to drug dealing to robberies, Livingstone's report states. The establishment of dispensaries has also negatively affected public health, safety and welfare in those cities, he wrote.
The correlation between medical marijuana dispensaries and an upsurge in crime is very
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real, said Capt. Terry Calderone of the Santa Clara County Office of the Sheriff-West Valley Division.
"There's always a connection between narcotics use, whether it be medical marijuana or illegal narcotics, and property crimes," he told the council.
Although there are no medical marijuana dispensaries in the areas the West Valley sheriff's office patrols, which includes Saratoga, Cupertino and Los Altos Hills, Calderone said he has discussed the issue with his colleagues from other cities, including those in Santa Cruz, where several dispensaries are in operation.
"The conclusion has been that the development of medical marijuana dispensaries in a city ... leads to an increase in crime," he said.
Allowing dispensaries to open within the city will assuredly cause more nuisance calls and an increase in calls for service, which will cost the city additional money, Calderone said.
The discussion turned to a lighter note when one man, who declined to give his name, stepped up to the lectern.
"Not appropriate for this town," said the man, adding that he was born and raised in Santa Cruz. "In Santa Cruz it's causing a mess.
"I can't believe I'm speaking out against pot. I'm becoming more Republican." Mayor Chuck Page said he was concerned that the city might not receive the sales tax money from dispensaries, which are cash-based businesses.
"When I see how many people are cheating with handicap placards and taking away parking spots for handicapped people, I can only imagine what it could be like for those" who want to cheat the system, Page said.
http://tinyurl.com/y9rtnsl
With a quick discussion and vote, the Saratoga City Council has bought time to figure out what to do about medical marijuana dispensaries, which have been popping up in cities around the Bay Area for years.
There will be no dispensaries opening up in Saratoga — at least for the next 45 days — as a result of an interim urgency ordinance the council unanimously approved at its Nov. 18 meeting. The town of Los Gatos approved a similar moratorium last month.
The Saratoga City Council also has the ability to extend a decision on the issue for as long as two years, said city attorney Richard Taylor.
The city has fielded "several inquiries from prospective medical marijuana dispensary operators," community development director John Livingstone wrote in a report to the council.
The city of Saratoga's code does not specifically address medical marijuana dispensaries as a permitted or conditionally permitted use in any zoning district, Livingstone said. The city also does not have regulations in place regarding licensing for anyone seeking to establish a dispensary.
Cities that have permitted dispensaries have seen a rise in crime, ranging from loitering to drug dealing to robberies, Livingstone's report states. The establishment of dispensaries has also negatively affected public health, safety and welfare in those cities, he wrote.
The correlation between medical marijuana dispensaries and an upsurge in crime is very
Advertisement
real, said Capt. Terry Calderone of the Santa Clara County Office of the Sheriff-West Valley Division.
"There's always a connection between narcotics use, whether it be medical marijuana or illegal narcotics, and property crimes," he told the council.
Although there are no medical marijuana dispensaries in the areas the West Valley sheriff's office patrols, which includes Saratoga, Cupertino and Los Altos Hills, Calderone said he has discussed the issue with his colleagues from other cities, including those in Santa Cruz, where several dispensaries are in operation.
"The conclusion has been that the development of medical marijuana dispensaries in a city ... leads to an increase in crime," he said.
Allowing dispensaries to open within the city will assuredly cause more nuisance calls and an increase in calls for service, which will cost the city additional money, Calderone said.
The discussion turned to a lighter note when one man, who declined to give his name, stepped up to the lectern.
"Not appropriate for this town," said the man, adding that he was born and raised in Santa Cruz. "In Santa Cruz it's causing a mess.
"I can't believe I'm speaking out against pot. I'm becoming more Republican." Mayor Chuck Page said he was concerned that the city might not receive the sales tax money from dispensaries, which are cash-based businesses.
"When I see how many people are cheating with handicap placards and taking away parking spots for handicapped people, I can only imagine what it could be like for those" who want to cheat the system, Page said.
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