In Case You Missed It: Regulations for Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Approved by City Council
In a truly practical, taking-care-of-business move, the City Council voted Monday to approve a series of common-sense regulations for medical marijuana dispensaries. As Cienna pointed out over on the Slog, the measure was passed unanimously by the Council despite an attempted interference by council member Bruce Harrell to keep dispensaries away from schools and call on police officers to practice "measured enforcement" -- even the text of the bill itself points out that it's already illegal to have dispensaries within 1,000 feet of schools because of the Controlled Substances Act.
The provisions passed in the bill just make sense; for the most part, they establish medical marijuana dispensaries as the businesses as they are, and clarify some finer points of the law. Dispensaries have to follow existing land use code, keep their facilities up to code, obtain business licenses, pay all applicable business tax and meet ADA requirements, for example. Marijuana smokers have to obey existing public smoking laws, as with cigarettes (not that I'm a fan of that particular law, but it's a nice, and relatively benign, clarification). And now, like any other business, complaints about dispensaries may be directed to the City's Customer Service Bureau. State laws (which determine, among other things, who qualifies for medical marijuana use and how they get it) and federal laws (which determine that marijuana possession and use are both still illegal) are not affected.
The bill isn't thrilling, or an overhaul of how we treat marijuana use in our city, but it's important step. Treating dispensaries like any other business -- and that are taxed and regulated like any other business -- is important when looking at (medical) cannabis use as part of our everyday, normal city life. Laying down practical framework, seeing how these businesses can coexist with others, and looking at the issue like grown-ups, will hopefully start to chip away at any of marijuana's remaining taboo.
