Cannabis Coalition Offers Solution With 5th Medical Marijuana Initiative Filing in San Jose

SAN JOSE, CA--(Marketwired - Jun 10, 2014) - The Silicon Valley Cannabis Coalition (SVCC) has filed an update to its Cannabis Commission Initiative for San Jose. The group intends to meet the criteria that, according to city staff, was missing from all of the previously filed initiatives. With the failure of any medical marijuana initiative to qualify for the November 2014 ballot in San Jose, initiative language that addresses the city's concerns is essential. Activists state the current regulations presented by city staff at the City Council meeting today would create an effective ban.

"The SVCC proposal to create a Cannabis Commission might be the only way to appropriately address the issues related to medical marijuana in San Jose," said Dave Hodges, founder of the All American Cannabis Club, and SVCC member. "For the past five years the council has taken the wrong approach to cannabis clubs. Creating regulations that make it impossible to operate does not move San Jose forward."

The SVCC's updated initiative addresses all state and federal requirements, while creating an oversight committee to regulate cannabis clubs immediately. The commission would create the regulations, oversight and long term solutions for marijuana businesses in San Jose. It would also aid the city in adjusting to any statewide regulation of medical marijuana or legalization of marijuana for adult use in the future. The cannabis commission would act as a regulatory body for all marijuana businesses in the nation's 10th largest city.

The Commission would:

• Establish strict operational and safety standards for marijuana businesses;
• Ensure medical marijuana is not distributed to minors;
• Ensure medical marijuana does not impact K-12 schools;
• Ensure drug cartels, criminals & gangs are not working with marijuana businesses;
• Ensure marijuana businesses participate in drug diversion & youth drug education programs;
• Ensure bad operators are referred to the city for appropriate action;
• Actively monitor the compliance of marijuana businesses; and
• Study, hold and conduct forums on any problems or concerns of the community related to marijuana businesses.
  
  

"By addressing the concerns and empowering a Cannabis Commission to oversee an issue the council has unsuccessfully struggled with for five years, the new initiative is designed to provide a working solution for all sides," said John Lee, director of the SVCC. "We hope to see the council take a better direction, but if they don't we may have to go to a special election."

The San Jose City Council is expected to pass regulations that are virtually identical to those in 2011. Three years ago medical marijuana advocates repealed a similar unworkable ordinance. This problem is something directly City Council itself created by failing to properly regulate cannabis clubs for the past five years.

SVCC Initiative Language: http://bit.ly/svcc-language
More information: http://SVCannabis.org