Wildomar would be the second Riverside County city -- Palm Springs was the first, in 2009 -- to pass a law specifically allowing retail outlets that sell medical marijuana to patients.

The city's Planning Commission on Wednesday will consider a new law that would regulate the dispensaries, lifting a ban in place since Wildomar became a city in 2008.

First, the commission must decide if dispensaries are appropriate for the city. If so, it must decide how and where they can operate.

The 4-0 vote last week came without public testimony. Councilman Robert Ziprick did not attend Tuesday's meeting.

Medical marijuana advocates have strongly opposed bans, even temporary moratoriums on dispensaries, arguing that such decisions force patients with legal marijuana prescriptions to turn to the black market.

"I just want to help other people," Place said, after showing off his concoction of marijuana tincture, a concoction that he says has helped him overcome renal failure. "I've seen people in different clinics struggling."

Place's group, the Inland Empire HIV/AIDS Medical Marijuana Patient Support Group, meets at 7:30 p.m. Mondays in Riverside.

The owner of Claremont-based Tasty Licks would make the delivery to anyone with a valid medical marijuana identification card.

But the operations of the mobile medical marijuana company were curtailed earlier this month when the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced it would prosecute anyone who performed such a delivery service.

Stewart Hauptman said he and his 1985 Pace Arrow motor home are gone for good from Norco after police cited him for possessing drug paraphernalia and operating a dispensary. He has since moved to unincorporated Riverside County, where he says he feels safer because state law applies.

Before that, he was a police officer in the Inland Empire for 29 years. He spent 15 years with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department working in corrections, patrol, investigations, training and administration. Dominguez supervised a gang unit, detective bureau and a community policing team before transferring to the Riverside Police Department as a lieutenant in 1994. In Riverside, he had management oversight of Department Operations and Administration.

Riverside City Attorney Greg Priamos said he's seeking an injunction against the clinic, which issues doctor recommendations for marijuana, and the nearby dispensary, a members-only collective where patients can purchase marijuana, because city zoning bans distribution of the drug.

Desert Organic Solutions, which is at 19486 Newhall St., near Indian Canyon Drive, is expected to open by the end of May, said Tim O'Bayley.

Deputy District Attorney Rosa Clark announced the news Friday at an unscheduled hearing for Don Kevin Lawrence in San Bernardino Superior Court, the same day The Sun ran a story featuring Lawrence's case.

The Beaumont City Council voted 4-1 Tuesday night for the extension. Councilwoman Nancy Gall opposed the measure.

But the city's limit of two permits, granted only to not-for-profit collectives, hasn't stopped four other medical pot dispensaries from sprouting across Palm Springs — and keeping their doors open against the city's wishes.

Desert Organic Solutions, which has one of two permits to operate a dispensary in the city, has proposed opening shop at 19486 Newhall Road instead of 19437 Newhall Road, according to a city staff report.

In June, the supervisors voted unanimously to implement an identification card program for medical marijuana patients through the Public Health Department.

They want officials to speed up the process of crafting guidelines for marijuana dispensaries and collectives.

"They've done absolutely nothing apparently, and they're not moving forward at all," said Lanny Swerdlow, director of the Marijuana Anti-Prohibition Project, an Inland Empire medical-marijuana patient support group and law reform organization.

Stacy Hochanadel, owner of CannaHelp, was arrested in December 2006 and charged with felony possession of marijuana for sale, transport and sale of marijuana, and keeping a place to sell controlled substances.

In June, the council approved the first moratorium extension.

He plead not guilty to illegally operating a Palm Desert medical marijuana dispensary in 2006.

The council extended the prohibition so city staff can continue gathering information for an ordinance to deal with the issue, city officials said.

Some decades ago, Joseph Stalin was so determined to collectivize agriculture in Russia that he starved millions of his farmers to death when all they wanted to do was grow food on their own farms.

While Obama and his family luxuriated in Hawaii, tens of thousands of hungry California farmers and farmworkers stood in long lines waiting for handouts to feed their families while farmlands lay empty ("Feds boost effort to revive vital delta," Dec. 23)!

The meeting takes place 6 p.m. at Palm Springs City Hall, 3200 East Tahquitz Canyon Way.

The city’s director of building and planning, Jim Miller, said the ordinances will clarify the city’s stance in prohibiting medical marijuana dispensaries. “(The development code) does have language prohibiting land use in violation of federal law,” Miller said. “We felt it was important to strengthen our municipal code.”

Deputies couldn't seize the marijuana if the medical claim is valid and the amount under the legal limit. But, the pot can be taken away if the deputy believes it's being used or sold illegally.

Police aren't disclosing their methods but said they will be on the lookout for anyone caught doing drugs during the three-day event at the Empire Polo Club in Indio.

Samuel Martin, who writes at phishandthedead.blogspot.com, does not dispute that Phish fans tend to smoke marijuana at concerts just as the Grateful Dead's Deadheads.

The festival, which is a celebration of music and cannabis culture, returned for the first time since 2003 with performances from artists including Slipknot, a reunion of Sublime, Deftones and Pennywise as well as an expo aimed at educating people about marijuana.

The Calimesa City Council was scheduled to vote on a possible ban on medical pot dispensaries Sept. 21, but decided instead to place a 45-day moratorium on them, said Councilman Ray Quinto. The council directed city staff to gather more detailed information about the issue during the moratorium, pushing a possible vote to at least November.

Quinto said the discussion began when a group of citizens came before the City Council and gave a presentation on their hopes to start a dispensary.

"All those provisions are all just primarily saying that we're establishing the sections of the code that would prohibit medical marijuana dispensaries in commercial and industrial areas throughout the city," said Michael Story, development services director, in a report to the council.

The ordinance, which will go into effect 30 days from the Sept. 14 meeting, received a 3 to 0 vote with no council discussion and Mayor Pro-tem Allan Drusys and Tom Masner absent. Some residents anticipated a crowd to attend the meeting to demonstrate their objection to this prohibition however, there was no public comment.

City Council is taking its lead from San Bernardino County and other nearby cities, who have also instituted moratoriums. No doubt Barstow wouldn’t want to be the only place in the county that allowed the dispensaries. While we support the right to medical marijuana (or really, the right to any sort of voluntary medical treatment), we acknowledge the potential impact of Barstow becoming the county “home” for marijuana dispensaries.

City Council members voted unanimously, with Dennis Baxter and Rikke Van Johnson absent, in favor of a ban, Deputy City Clerk Linda Sutherland said.

The five-member council directed staff Monday night to draft a 45-day moratorium and bring it back for their vote on Oct. 5. The council could extend the moratorium up to two years, a staff report states.

Council members say the moratorium will give the city time to research the issue of medical marijuana dispensaries. Mayor Jim Hyatt expressed interest in contacting Inland cities that allow dispensaries to see how it's working.

But one prominent drug treatment center in Southern California is finding that the recipients of medical marijuana cards are not just elderly people with
terminal illnesses, but young people in their 20s who are faking back pain and other ailments in an effort to legally obtain the drug.

The Marijuana Anti-Prohibition Project's medical marijuana patient support group met Saturday at Crystal Fantasy in Palm Springs to discuss local issues concerning medical marijuana.

San Bernardino County, which will begin issuing medical marijuana cards in mid-August, has issued a temporary moratorium on marijuana dispensaries while a county committee studies approaches for regulating and zoning the facilities.

The Board of Supervisors is not scheduled to discuss its next step until June 2, but Supervisor Josie Gonzales told about 40 medical marijuana advocates it would be a top priority.

A display like that would be an incredible tourist attraction. Under state law medical marijuana is legal and no longer of interest to the federal government. If someone complains just tell them it's legal and to get over it. Security would be a requirement.

The measure will go into effect in 30 days following a second reading, officials said.

Wednesday night's approval means Palm Springs is the first city in Riverside County to allow these facilities.

The approval means Palm Springs is the first city in Riverside County to allow these facilities.

If the measure is approved, Palm Springs would be the first city in Riverside County to allow medical marijuana dispensaries.

The council meets at 6 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chamber, 3200 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way.

Tonight's vote will be a first reading, but if the law is approved, Palm Springs will be the only city in Riverside County to allow any type of dispensary to operate legally.

As incoming sheriff, I will take the opportunity to review our practices and policies in regard to a number of issues. I appreciate Mr. Smith's opinion, and as a public servant, value any citizen's input when it comes to how we do our job.

And they are taking their case to the county Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. in Riverside where several are expected to speak during the part of the meeting reserved for public comments.

“I know it sounds weird, but I went for the weed license because I try to be a law-abiding citizen,” said the 27-year-old Helendale resident. “I’m not a fiend for marijuana that gets it from the corner or the streets. I just need to smoke because I have health problems — and that’s it.”

Although California law has allowed patients to use marijuana in accordance with their doctors' recommendation for more than 12 years, Penrod has consistently instructed deputies to ignore that law.

Penrod's justification was that his department couldn't follow the state's voter-approved medical marijuana law because of an obligation to enforce federal law, which prohibits all marijuana use.

The nonprofit Marijuana Policy Project maintains that the board, at its Aug. 26 meeting, voted in a closed-door session to appeal its joint lawsuit with San Diego County to the state Supreme Court after a San Diego County judge ruled in favor of the state.

San Bernardino County joined San Diego County three years ago in challenging the program, which requires it to issue medical-marijuana identification cards to patients.

Deputy Town Manager Shane Stueckle said staff members hope to be ready to submit their findings on the issues to the Planning Commission in February or March, and to have a second reading of a ordinance on marijuana dispensaries ready for the council by June at the latest.

Wednesday’s vote only directed staff to draft the new, more restrictive ordinance, which City Attorney Doug Holland said should go back to the council in early February. But Holland said Friday he will also be going to court early next month for injunctions to shut down all dispensaries now in business in the city — estimated at seven.

Palm Springs City Council members voted 3-2 Wednesday to create a draft ordinance allowing medical marijuana collectives and operatives.

Councilwoman Ginny Foat and Councilman Lee Weigel voted no, saying they disagree with some of some ordinance details.

The Palm Springs City Council voted 3-2 tonight to create a draft ordinance allowing medical marijuana collectives and operatives. Councilwoman Ginny Foat and Councilman Lee Weigel voted no.

Zenia Gilg, Victor's lawyer, has filed a motion in Riverside County Superior Court seeking to have all of Victor's property returned to him. Victor adhered to state guidelines for running a medicinal marijuana collective, and he shouldn't have to wait this long for charges to be filed, Gilg said in an interview.

The Superior Court lawsuit filed Monday by Scott Bledsoe seeks enforcement of California's voter-approved Proposition 215, which allows physician-approved marijuana use.

The proposition collides with federal drug laws.

The meeting will open with a public hearing at 6 p.m. in the council chambers at City Hall, according to the agenda.

The proposed law limits dispensaries to industrial zones.

The city now has at least four dispensaries operating illegally, with at least one more waiting for council approval to open, according to The Desert Sun.

The battle over whether the use of medicinal marijuana is legal has raged on for 12 years. It continued on Monday on the steps of the San Bernardino County Courthouse, where a group of medical marijuana users decided to sue the county. The group included people like Scott Bledsoe, whose doctor signed off on his use of medicinal marijuana.

The commission voted 3-2 on Tuesday to recommend banning medical marijuana dispensaries. The commission had tied 2-2 on the issue at a previous meeting, one that Chairman John Gerardi had been unable to attend.

Five dispensaries are now operating illegally in the city — with No. 6 set to open next week — all in anticipation of the city passing a law that would make it the only jurisdiction in Riverside County to allow the shops.

City officials confirmed late this afternoon that the council will hold off the vote on the medical marijuana ordinance scheduled for its meeting at 6 p.m. today in the City Hall Council Chamber, 3200 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way.

Forty of California's 58 counties are distributing marijuana cards.

The commission tied 2-2 Monday on the contentious issue. Chairman John Gerardi, the tie-breaking vote, did not attend the meeting.

The council's 5-0 vote sends the Planning Commission two draft ordinances for consideration at its Nov. 17 meeting: One would prohibit medical marijuana dispensaries and the other would regulate the outlets.

Martin Victor, 56, was released from custody Saturday after posting bail and testified Monday in West Valley Superior Court on behalf of Palm Springs resident Lanny Swerdlow.

Martin J. Victor, 56, said Monday that he and his wife, both of whom suffer from debilitating health problems that prevent them from working, run a 10-member medicinal marijuana collective from their home.

Last month, Attorney General Jerry Brown said licensed state cooperatives or less formal collectives are legal under California law. Operators of for-profit storefront dispensaries may be arrested and prosecuted, he said. Brown's opinion is nonbinding.

It's also safe to assume local governments know because they frequently shut down dispensaries as quickly as they open.

Palm Springs resident Lanny Swerdlow, 62, was arrested on suspicion of battery in October after he and several other marijuana activists were ejected from a Rancho Cucamonga meeting of the Inland Valley Drug Free Community Coalition.

Swerdlow says the meeting was advertised as a public event.

Palm Springs resident Lanny Swerdlow, 62, was arrested on suspicion of battery in October after he and several other marijuana activists were ejected from a Rancho Cucamonga meeting of the Inland Valley Drug Free Community Coalition.

Swerdlow says the meeting was advertised as a public event.

Q: Dr. Denney, when did you first get interested in using marijuana for pain control?
A: I was a child of the 60s and a Viet Nam era vet. After serving in the military, I went to medical school and was amazed at all the scientific literature I found about cannabis. By the way, we call it “cannabis” because marijuana is a Mexican slang word.

San Diego and San Bernardino counties had argued that issuing identification cards to eligible users, as required by the 1996 state law, would violate federal law, which does not recognize the state measure.

A three-judge panel of the 4th District Court of Appeals ruled Thursday that federal law does not pre-empt California's medical marijuana law. The state law also requires counties to establish programs to regulate eligibility for the ID cards.

In a 3-0 opinion, judges from the state's 4th District Court of Appeal in San Diego also rejected San Bernardino County's claim that the medical marijuana identification card provisions of the law violate the California Constitution.

The simple failure to mention the scores of young adults and others who obtain marijuana cards simply to get high is rather astonishing. Instead, The Sun was scammed by the pro-legalization movement that constantly seeks out and pushes the sick in the view of the media for their own selfish cause.

JoAnn Cates was inside her Johnson Valley home preparing to lie down for a nap with her great-grandson, while her husband, Rich McCabe, watered the front yard outside.

Moments later, as many as 12 armed sheriff's deputies rushed through their mobile home and made their way to a greenhouse filled with thriving marijuana plants.

"Marijuana: Compassion and Common Sense," a local cable show, began airing in Norco and Riverside in June.

"We're trying to tell the people about the benefits of the medical marijuana," said host and medical-marijuana advocate Lanny Swerdlow. "Humans have been using marijuana for over 5,000 years, and it was always seen as a medicine. But 70 years ago, suddenly, this became this dirty drug."

"Marijuana: Compassion and Common Sense," a local cable show, began airing in Norco and Riverside in June.

"We're trying to tell the people about the benefits of the medical marijuana," said host and medical-marijuana advocate Lanny Swerdlow. "Humans have been using marijuana for over 5,000 years, and it was always seen as a medicine. But 70 years ago, suddenly, this became this dirty drug."

The law does not limit the ability of medical-marijuana users to cultivate and use the drug in the city.

Nor does it disallow medical-marijuana users from setting up "collectives" to share and distribute the drug if such an operation conforms with state law, said City Attorney Sonia Carvalho.

Appearing at a hearing Tuesday in San Diego, attorneys for San Diego and San Bernardino counties squared off with lawyers representing the American Civil Liberties Union, state attorney general's office and medical marijuana patients.

Attorneys for patients, the American Civil Liberties Union and the state attorney general's office disagreed, saying the California law does not conflict with federal drug laws because patients do not intend to use the drug illegally.

Representatives of the American Civil Liberties Union and Americans for Safe Access, along with the California Attorney General's Office, were scheduled to appear before the 4th District Court of Appeal at 9 a.m.

The county argues that it should not have to issue identification cards to legitimate medical marijuana users, even though a state law requires it.

Attorneys for San Diego and San Bernardino counties told the Fourth District Court of Appeal judges that counties should not be forced to issue identification cards to qualified medical marijuana patients.

In a case being watched closely by counties around the state, oral arguments are scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday in a 4th District Court of Appeal courtroom in downtown San Diego.

The event will feature an update on recent California case law and legislative initiatives on medical marijuana.

Council members say they won't allow any business in town that would be illegal under federal law and that the presence of one would mar the city's reputation as a good place to raise a family.

Mayor Dennis Yates supports the ban.

Stacy Hochanadel, who owned the now-defunct CannaHelp, and his managers
James Campbell and John Bednar, all 31, were arrested in December 2006 and charged with felony possession of marijuana for sale, transport and sale of marijuana, and keeping a place to sell controlled substances.

CannaHelp owner Stacy Hochanadel and his managers, James Campbell and
John Bednar, all 31, were arrested in December 2006 and charged with felony possession of marijuana for sale, transport and sale of marijuana and keeping a place to sell controlled substances.

Organizer Aurora Maldonado grew up in Desert Hot Springs "where marijuana was just a part of the natural order of things," according to the release. She now lives in Palm Springs.

"I don't see anything good that comes out of (marijuana) myself," said Councilman Rex Gutierrez. "I don't think we need the establishments here."

The urgency ordinance gained unanimous approval and will go into effect immediately. But the language of the development code needs approval by the Planning Commission before final adoption by the council.

Prosecutors said they will appeal the ruling.

If the ruling is not overturned, the case will likely be dismissed for lack of evidence.

On March 21, Riverside County Superior Court Judge David B. Downing told the attorneys for CannaHelp owner Stacy Hochanadel and his managers, James Campbell and John Bednar, that he would delay his ruling until Friday so that he could make an "informed decision."

Yet, as the former doorman for Morro Bay's Central Coast Compassionate Caregivers medical marijuana dispensary, Baxter isn't any run-of-the-mill defendant.

Baxter allegedly sold 12 ounces of marijuana to an undercover police officer on July 12, 2006, but he wasn't arrested until local sheriff's deputies and federal agents raided the dispensary on March 29, 2007, nine months later. The dispensary later closed for good.

City Attorney Douglas Holland said he has studied the issue for more than 18 months and plans to bring his proposal to the City Council in coming weeks. He said cooperatives would satisfy the need of the people and the laws of the state.

"Those collectives would have to be very narrowly tailored and organized," Holland said.

San Bernardino County has asked an appellate court to reject a ruling that upholds the legalization of medicinal marijuana in California because it contradicts federal law.

Attorneys from San Bernardino and San Diego counties filed papers Friday asking the Fourth District Court of Appeal to reject a ruling that upheld medical marijuana guidelines following the passage of Proposition 215. They contend that counties should not adhere to state laws that are weaker than federal laws.

The documents urge the Fourth District Court of Appeal to throw out a San Diego Superior Court ruling upholding the state law that requires counties to issue identification cards to qualified medical marijuana patients.

Indio now joins the ranks of Palm Desert, Indian Wells and La Quinta in limiting the dispensaries.

Councilwoman Melanie Fesmire voted against the ban because she said she sympathizes with the sick people who might benefit from marijuana use.

Last month the City Council met and discussed a $1.7 million shortfall in revenue. At that time City Council members asked for more time to review the budget and discuss prioritizing city projects and potentially putting some on hold in order to curb spending.

Although Cathedral City officials were unsuccessful in their attempts to get a federal injunction against the dispensary earlier this week, they are continuing their efforts to revoke the shop's business license.

The city will now ask the U.S. attorney's office to ask U.S. District Court Judge Stephen G. Larson for a permanent injunction against Essential Herbs and Oils, Deputy City Manager Julie Baumer said.

Baumer did not know when a meeting between officials of the city and the U.S. attorney's office would take place.

A federal judge in Riverside denied a temporary injunction for Essential Herbs and Oils in Cathedral City.

The failed request comes a week after the Cathedral City was able to get a temporary restraining order for the dispensary from selling medical marijuana.

“This is complicated by a number of factors,” said Riverside-based U.S. District Judge Stephen G. Larson, before issuing a decision regarding Cathedral City-based Essential Herbs and Oils.

U.S. District Judge Stephen G. Larson issued the order Wednesday against Essential Herbs and Oils and its owners, Virginia Hurn and Teresa Sotelo, according to Cathedral City Deputy City Attorney Steve Quintanilla.

Judge Stephen G. Larson issued the temporary order without a hearing, ruling that Essential Herbs and its owners Virginia Hurn and Teresa Sotelo were violating the federal ban on all distribution of marijuana.

Essential Herbs and Oils, the recently opened medical marijuana dispensary on East Palm Canyon Drive, was served the notice on Friday, said Deputy City Manager Julie Baumer. Federal court action could be next, Baumer added.

The Indio Planning Commission on Wednesday, with no opposition, recommended an ordinance to the City Council that would prohibit marijuana dispensaries within all zoning districts.

The permanent ban comes two years after an initial freeze on dispensaries, which was meant to allow city staff time to assess the effects of the establishments on the community.

"This one would be prohibition," City Attorney Arnold Alvarez-Glasman said. "The federal law is quite clear that the use of marijuana is prohibited."

The five-page legal request, filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court in Riverside, asks the court to rule on whether the city has to comply with the California's medical marijuana law, which it says violates federal law.

The City Council is expected to consider using an urgency declaration to prohibit opening the businesses within Moreno Valley. City Attorney Bob Herrick said he is recommending the ban primarily because of the problems associated with such dispensaries.

For patients who do not have to undergo the onerous and humiliating ritual of providing a urine specimen in a cup or you will be fired or not hired, this ruling has no direct impact.

But for the many people whose livelihoods depend on being able to pass a drug screen, this is a serious blow to their health and welfare.