Cities and counties throughout the state have been scrambling to tighten up regulations after experiencing a rash of business license applications from people wishing to operate marijuana stores, city officials said.
"Some of these stores may possibly comply with state law, but many do not, and all violate federal law, which continues to prohibit the cultivation, use, purchase and sale of marijuana for any purpose," said Monica Aguayo, Williams assistant planner.
The City Council proposes to hold a public hearing on the issue on April 21.
Glenn County passed a similar 45-day ordinance on Tuesday, barring medical marijuana dispensaries and the cultivation of medical marijuana until county officials have time to study how to properly zone and plan for them.
The Colusa County Board of Supervisors will consider and identical ordinance on Tuesday.
The city of Orland has a similar ban, while Corning has established indoor cultivation regulations, but still has a ban on dispensaries and outdoor cultivation. Tehama County recently adopted an ordinance that regulates how and where medical marijuana can be grown.
Although voters in 1996 approved Proposition 215, allowing for the use of marijuana for medical purposes, the act did not require local governments to provide for marijuana stores, according to the resolution adopted Wednesday in Williams.
City officials said cities that have permitted the establishment of medical marijuana dispensaries have witnessed an increase in crime, such as burglaries, robberies and sales of illegal drugs in areas immediately surrounding such dispensaries, as shown in studies and reports from the California Chiefs of Police Association.
An initiative to legalize marijuana was certified for November's ballot last week, after backers turned in signatures from hundreds of thousands of voters.
If the initiative, officially called the Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010, is approved, adults 21 and older would be permitted to possess up to an ounce of marijuana.
Anyone could grow up to 25 square feet of plants per residence, according to the initiative, and local governments would be asked to craft rules on distributing and taxing marijuana.
Williams police Chief Jim Saso said the California Chiefs of Police Association, of which he is a member, plans to mount an opposition to the initiative.
The proposed ordinance, which already cleared the Williams Planning Commission, will amend the city's municipal code to clarify that no business which is illegal under state or federal law, including medical marijuana dispensaries, may be licensed or operated in Williams and that all land uses that violate either federal or state law will be banned.
Source: Willows Journal
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