Three Council Members seek to ban medical marijuana collectives

Three Santa Ana City Council Members, including Michele Martinez, David Benavides and Angie Amezcua have placed an 85A item on the agenda for this Tuesday’s City Council meeting, regarding medical marijuana.

These Council Members would like to place a measure on the November General Election ballot that would allow voters to vote against the sale of medical marijuana by collectives/dispensaries. 

California voters passed Prop. 215, in 1996, a medical marijuana initiative that “allows patients with a valid doctor’s recommendation, and the patients’ designated Primary Caregivers, to possess and cultivate marijuana for personal medical use, and has since been expanded to protect a growing system of collective and cooperative distribution,” according to Wikipedia.

Earlier this month the Santa Ana City Council, by a 4-3 vote, approved a November ballot measure that would legalize, tax and regulate medical marijuana shops according to the Voice of OC.

The Council Members who in the affirmative to allow us to vote for a pro medical marijuana dispensary measure other than the one that has been advanced by community activists included Mayor Miguel Pulido, Mayor Pro Tem Sal Tinajero and Council Members Vince Sarmiento and Angie Amezcua.  City Council members David Benavides, Roman Reyna and Michele Martinez opposed the measure, according to the OC Register.

Another ballot measure, called the Medical Cannabis (Marijuana) Restriction and Limitation Initiative, is already set for the November ballot after supporters turned in the required amount of signatures to place it on the ballot. This measure will only allow a limited number of approved facilities determined by Santa Ana’s population and estimated number of patients, will require these approved collectives to be located only in certain areas and will require the Collectives and Cooperatives to pay an additional 2% on top of the standard sales tax rate, according to the ballot measure’s campaign website.

Benavides opposes medical marijuana sales “because of the number of youths who, he said, get high in dispensary storefronts and drive while under the influence.” Reyna wants a larger distance between dispensaries. Martinez says the measure needs a better enforcement plan.

Ironically Martinez once admitted to selling drugs in town herself, when she was 17, and Reyna’s brother apparently died in prison.  Benavides moved here from East Los Angeles, an area ruined by gangs.

It appears that Martinez, Benavides, and Amezcua would prefer that marijuana sales continue to be conducted illegally in Santa Ana, as opposed to having approved dispensaries that can be taxed.  Doesn’t this stance benefit the city’s organized gangs, who currently control most of the drug trade in town?  And what about the sick people in our city who really need medical marijuana?  Why should they be deprived or the rights that state voters granted them previously via Prop. 215?

Here is the text from the current City Council agenda regarding the proposed measure to ban medical marijuana dispensaries in Santa Ana:

DIRECT CITY ATTORNEY TO PREPARE BALLOT MEASURE TO BAN MEDICAL MARIJUANA COLLECTIVES AND DIRECT CITY MANAGER TO PREPARE ENFORCEMENT PLAN  INCLUDING A TASK FORCE FOR ADOPTION WITHIN 30 DAYS {STRATEGIC PLAN NO.  5, 1} – (Councilmembers Amezcua, Martinez, and Benavides)

It is interesting that Reyna is not joining his pal Benavides in this attempt to ban medical marijuana dispensaries in town.  I am told that Reyna has accepted campaign contributions from marijuana dealers.  Reyna is running for Mayor in November against Pulido.