The Santa Clarita City Council is expected Tuesday to endorse Assembly Bill 266, which would provide a statewide framework for medical marijuana to preserve “local control” — not to bring dispensaries to the SCV any time soon, officials said.
AB 266 addresses a lot of the shortcomings of Proposition 215, a voter initiative passed in 1996 that created the Compassionate Use Act and legalized medicinal marijuana, said Randy Perry, a lobbyist for the Peace Officers Research Association of California, which endorsed the measure.
The bill, co-authored by Assemblyman Tom Lackey, R-38, calls for a Bureau of Medical Marijuana Regulation, background checks for dispensary owners, a system, including apprenticeship and certification for cannabis employees and, perhaps most importantly for local leaders, the ability to opt in to the system or opt out.
“California is generally out in front on most issues, and (PORAC) thought, ‘This is the way it’s going in the near future,’ and polling kind of confirmed that,” Perry explained during the KHTS AM-1220 road trip in March. “Therefore, they thought, ‘We can either sit and fight it and put our heads in the sand, or you can get out there, and get as much regulatory framework involved, taxation, things that are going to protect (the community).’”
Assemblyman Tom Lackey
One of the largest concerns for the group, Perry said, is Proposition 215 only contains a few paragraphs, and offers little guidance for cities and counties throughout the state.
“The government has no business in any way, shape or form in trying to advocate for or make a business out of this drug,” said Santa Clarita City Councilman Bob Kellar, a retired LAPD officer with 25 years experience. “You can do all of the fantasy you want. Out of all my years of working the streets, every time I arrested someone for major drugs, they always started with marijuana. When people say, ‘It’s not a big deal’ — I disagree.”
The bill’s co-author, Lackey, who also represents a portion of the Santa Clarita Valley, is also a retired law enforcement officer, but with the California Highway Patrol.
Both Kellar and TimBen Boydston, the other member of Santa Clarita City Council on the Legislative Subcommittee that made the recommendation to support the bill, stated their support was about preserving local control.
“Local control is taken away all the time when they make the statewide law,” Boydston said, “but this is the idea that we should be able to craft our own destiny.”
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4 Comments
I also support improved laws for our state. however, if we continue to embrase a failed policy for fifty plus years, we are not progressing even with improved legislation. 25 years ago, the mexican cartels were the provider of marijuana, but no longer is marijuanna profitable to the big players. Due to the changing opinions of the voters, and with the majority of states now regulating and embracing the medical use of the plant, the cartel now needs to push heroin, meth, and recently PCP to stay in business. Every town that does not have a MMJ dispensary has major drug problems. By working with those who are legitimate actually makes illegal suppliers more exposed and provides better enforcement protecting our children. We can continue to have teens OD on hard drugs, or embrace the publics desire to change a failed political policy to protect our children.
Here is a link to facts:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/losing-marijuana-business-mexican-cartels-push-heroin-and-meth/2015/01/11/91fe44ce-8532-11e4-abcf-5a3d7b3b20b8_story.html
So, aren’t the same dealers that sell MJ also sell heroin? Maybe that’s the connection to the escalation. Dispensaries don’t sell heroin and an extra step would have to be taken to escalate!
I could not DISAGREEE w/Mr. Kellar and Boydston more on any other issue they present. I oppose many of their opinions because they are so set in “their” ways which is old and out dated. I believe that yes, that MJ used to be a gateway drug, but wake up gentlemen. In self proclaimed “awesometown” there are way more vicious introductory drugs that spearhead the heavy drug use in our valley. Take this from someone who has lived through it. I have had discussions w/Kellar about the epidemic of Heroin in our community, but sorry to tell you sir, you are a decade late. As you are with this as well. I have had multiple friends, colleagues and co-workers overdose from hard drugs, but I would love for them to come up with some sort of actual FACTUAL evidence of anyone in the world having succumb to overdose from this plant. The “new” intro drug is the ones that I am sure these guys take regularly. PILLS….. These are the real killers these days gentlemen. Wake up and understand that you are behind the 8 ball on this and you guys need to actually listen and do some NEW FIELD RESEARCH into what is actually going on in our community. I know many retired law enforcement officers that would rather use this magical plant, not to get high, but to use the medicine as just that… MEDICINE. I really do not feel that anyone should take these two individual’s words with any sort of valor on this topic as they are out of their element. Maybe if they did a little research of things that are actually affecting our youth and their choices in extracurricular drug use they might open their eyes to something that used to be bad gone good. So to conclude this mini-rant, I think that we should be PRO AB266 but make sure those people in power to not abuse it for some past issues they may have had and make some sort of educated decision to help our economy and boost our efforts for our community to thrive. Ohh lastly…. We can enforce taxes to help pay for all the extra unnecessary crap that is going on in this town. (Beautification, speed rail, fiber optics in the industrial centers and more of these pricey additions to our community)
Elected officials are to plan the future and not perform their duties based on their past. The misinformation must stop. They went to the capitol, heard the message to prepare and are choosing to bury their heads in the ground because nothing ever changes….
Is it a gateway drug? Based on this explanation, any positive reinforcement is addictive… try this link ==> http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/marijuana/marijuana-gateway-drug
Is it addictive? According to this 91% have no addiction, but that’s better than Alcohol and Tobacco ==>
http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana/marijuana-addictive
Is it a medicine? According to the FDA the elements of Cannabis is a medicine, patented and sold under two brands with royalties going to the US Government. See this link ==> http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/marijuana/what-are-marijuanas-effects-general-physical-health#marijuana
Until you have the facts, the arguments don’t matter.