Adelanto eyes medical marijuana - Council instructs city attorney to draft 2 ordinances

ADELANTO — Giving serious consideration to lifting a citywide ban, the City Council directed City Attorney Todd Litfin late Tuesday to draft two medical marijuana ordinances, one related to research and cultivation and the other pertaining to retail sales.

But while mulling a major shift for a city that outlawed pot dispensaries in 2010, city leaders also acknowledged concerns over stigma, impact on youth and possible criminal activity.

After a lengthy discussion, Mayor Rich Kerr insisted the draft plans be split to separate the scientific element of medical marijuana from the more controversial dispensaries, pointing to the contrast in the issues.

Litfin will bring the plans back to the Council in two weeks, but the ordinances would likely first need to be heard by the Planning Commission.

The Council told Litfin to include strict regulatory language, a six-month evaluation window on retail sales, a limit on the number of dispensaries and provisions about where income would be spent. All funds collected by the city on the retail side would go to parks and recreation, officials said. Additionally, 25 percent of taxes or fees collected from research and cultivation businesses would go to the city’s parks.

Mayor Pro Tem Jermaine Wright submitted to Litfin his own proposed ordinance for cultivation and research, convinced that the city could be a trailblazer in that arena, yet he admitted he was still “standoffish” about allowing retail sales.

“I’m still worried about the stigma that our city has with everything that’s happened, everything that’s going on,” Wright said. “But I believe ... cultivation for actual research for medical marijuana is just something that we can do.”

The Council appeared to agree that cultivation deserved a second look, while Kerr, Councilman John “Bug” Woodard and Councilman Charley Glasper seemed most open to the idea of exploring pot dispensaries under tight regulations.

Meanwhile, it was also announced that Johnny Salazar, a medical marijuana collective owner and frequent speaker at Council meetings, will lend his expertise to city officials as they navigate through the possible undertakings.

“Here’s the bottom line: We could be on the forefront ... we could be the leaders of the High Desert when it comes down to it,” Woodard said. “Now what do we got to ask ourselves? Are we going to turn down the revenue and the idea of helping a lot of citizens?

“If you turn your back on it, somebody else is going to come along and pick up on it,” he added, “and you will be not on the forefront. You will be left behind in the dust.”

Shea Johnson may be reached at 760-955-5368 or SJohnson@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DP_Shea.