The two supervisors first asked for the medical-marijuana law in September. Two weeks ago, Benoit changed his position and called for a renewed ban.
An ordinance regulating how and where dispensaries could locate in unincorporated areas would have ended the county's four-year prohibition on the businesses.
Benoit and Stone in their proposal wrote that they are concerned that the "number of these dispensaries will increase exponentially" after county supervisors in Los Angeles and Orange counties banned them last month.
"As bans are created and maintained in surrounding jurisdictions, dispensary operators will flock to the county and the county will disproportionately bear the cost and burden of regulation," the two supervisors said.
They said the cash-strapped county would be better off enforcing the existing ban rather than "drafting, implementing and enforcing a new ordinance."
The county is likely to face vocal opposition to a continued ban from medical-marijuana users and activists. Many turned out at last week's board meeting to protest comments Benoit made Nov. 30 about keeping the ban.
But only two people spoke, since the public comment portion of the board's 9:30 a.m. meeting did not take place until after 3 p.m. Some activists yelled at supervisors when they decided to break for lunch and a closed session before taking public comment.
Terry Lynn Mortensen, of Riverside, told supervisors they should not ban dispensaries.
"Regulate us. License us. Send the health department in," she said.
Prohibiting dispensaries will force medical-marijuana patients to the streets to buy the drug, she said.
"We are not people that run around the streets getting high. We are people that are using the medical marijuana as directed by our doctors," she said. "I ask for some understanding and sympathy and ask that you represent the people who voted for Proposition 215."
Source: The Press-Enterprise
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