As Chino medical marijuana criminal defense lawyers, we were disappointed but not surprised to see that the Riverside County city of Wildomar is unlikely to overturn its current ban on medical marijuana dispensaries. The Riverside Press-Enterprise reported August 4 that the city's Planning Commission, which manages things like growth and transportation within the city, voted 3-2 to recommend that the City Council continue its two-year-old dispensary ban. The Planning Commission does not have the final say on the matter; the City Council will ultimately make the decision. But the commission's meeting still heard at length from opponents and proponents of the dispensaries, with about 20 of the 35 speakers opposing any dispensaries at all.
In Riverside County, only one city, Palm Springs, allows medical marijuana dispensaries. Wildomar is considering a law that would allow the dispensaries, but limit where they may be. The proposed law, modeled after one in Laguna Woods here in Orange County, would allow any number of dispensaries as long as they are in commercial zones and away from schools and parks. Only storefront dispensaries that are not for profit would be allowed. Several people on the Planning Commission suggested limiting the number of dispensaries to two, in a city of about 31,000 people. Commissioners discussed how the law might be affected if California's Proposition 19, which would legalize and regulate marijuana for all adults 21 and over, is passed this fall.
As Orange County medical marijuana criminal defense attorneys, we do not believe that the passing of Proposition 19 would change the minds of the most fervent opponents of dispensaries. Numerous cities throughout Southern California have used their zoning laws as a battering ram to essentially force medical marijuana delivery services out of those city. As one person quoted in the article said, this is despite the fact that a majority of California voters legalized marijuana for sick people more than a decade ago, and despite instructions from the state attorney general that nonprofit dispensaries are legal. We believe some people are simply too prejudiced against marijuana to respect this authority and are determined to oppose dispensaries, even when that means denying medicine to the sick.
Howard Law, P.C. represents collectives, cooperatives and individuals who have encountered legal trouble because of police or political prejudice against medical marijuana. As long as you are following state law, you should never be charged with a state-law drug crime for using, selling or growing medical marijuana. But in the experience of our Escondido medical marijuana criminal defense lawyers some law enforcement officers simply don't care about state law when it comes to "drug crimes." As a result, people who scrupulously followed the law have found themselves facing serious charges of selling drugs, cultivating marijuana, possession of marijuana or even trafficking. In cases like this, we vigorously defend clients and can often get charges dismissed before trial by simply providing proof that there was no crime. When necessary, however, we can and will defend clients at trial.
If you're charged with a drug crime for your legal use of medical marijuana, you should never plead guilty before talking to Howard Law, P.C.. To learn more or set up a free consultation, contact us through the Internet or call 1-800-872-5925 today.
