Wednesday, 21 July 2010 06:06

Robert Allen Seeks Sutter Creek Medical Pot Dispensary Permit

slide3-robert_allen_seeks_sutter_creek_medical_pot_dispensary_permit.pngAmador County – The applicant for a medical marijuana dispensary use permit spoke to the Sutter Creek City Council on Monday, saying he did not want to talk about legalizing pot, but rather about the law already in place. Robert Allen said he founded Gold Country Harvest Cooperative with the desire to open up a medical marijuana dispensary. He said medical pot helped his mother increase her appetite for food, and extended her life by 2 years. He asked Sutter Creek City Council to “slow down” and not “get on the anti-bandwagon like every other city” in Amador County. Allen said the city should look at Sacramento, which is pursuing the taxing of medical pot. Planning Commissioner Robin Peters asked City Attorney Derek P. Cole if commission approval of a pot dispensary could be seen as an illegal action in the strictest reading of the law. Cole said city laws cannot violate state or federal law. Peters said if the issue was not appealed, the city council would not even act on the conditional use permit, but he also said the permit would not come to the commission for a while. Cole said state law regulates formation of agricultural cooperatives, and medical pot co-ops. The co-op members can pay farmers for their time, but not for the marijuana. Councilman Pat Crosby said he knew nothing about the medical benefits of pot, and was very disappointed they could not have Walgreens sell pot. (Cole told him earlier that as a pharmacy, Walgreens would be regulated federally, and federal law prohibits marijuana sales.) Crosby said it is an apparent benefit to some people, and “if they do not allow it, it would be a disservice” to those people.” Vice Mayor Tim Murphy said medical pot prescriptions are “largely a scam,” and anyone could get them. He said the council “should have addressed this a year ago,” when he heard Allen’s story, “instead of waiting for an application.” Wooten said if it is illegal, they should get rid of the code, and Anderson said she had numerous calls, and “no one said they wanted a marijuana co-op.” She worried that Sutter Creek “could be the only legal corridor in the county,” and she did not want that to happen. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.