LO RESIDENTS WANT SAY ABOUT MEDICAL-MARIJUANA DISPENSARIES

Rumors about a medical-marijuana dispensary possibly opening in Los Olivos
spurred residents and organizations to join together to prevent any from
setting up shop in town.

The Preservation of Los Olivos (POLO) group will be hosting a meeting at 7
p.m. Tuesday in the Grange Hall, 2374 Alamo Pintado Ave., to discuss a
plan of action to present to the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors
on Dec. 9.

"We are hoping we have a unified view from the community regarding the
direction we give the Board of Supervisors, so we don't end up with
dispensaries just popping up," said Dennis Shoen, member of POLO.

The county has not passed an ordinance banning pot clinics in
unincorporated communities, such as Los Olivos or Santa Ynez. However
Buellton, Solvang Santa Maria and other Central Coast cities have passed
ordinances which temporarily prohibit the establishment of storefront
dispensaries.

Los Olivos falls under Santa Barbara County jurisdiction, according to Kim
Probert, of the county planning department.

"The purpose of meeting is to get community input about medical marijuana
dispensaries and present the research we have found. What we have come up
with is there are 22 dispensaries in Santa Barbara, which is twice the
number of Starbucks within their city limits," Shoen said.

Through POLO's research, more than 50 percent of people who frequent the
dispensaries are under

30 years old, and he said it seemed it was for more recreational use than
pain management.

"At this meeting we will have a presentation about the medical marijuana
situation regarding what is happening in Santa Barbara and outside of
California at states who have legalized some form of medical marijuana
use," Shoen said.

Other reports circulated regarding a medical-marijuana dispensary at the
former shoe store on the corner of Edison Street and Madera Street in
Santa Ynez, but there have been no applications submitted to Santa Barbara
County Planning Department for tenant improvement permits, Probert said.

The building at 1050 Edison St. is zoned C-2 retail commercial, and
according to Probert, a dispensary falls under that category so no zoning
permits would be needed to open.

Guillermo Medina, owner of the building which currently houses an art
gallery, a hair-styling salon, three apartments and his own chiropractic
office, said there has not been a dispensary there, nor will there be one.

However, Probert said that a building inspector had noticed construction
activity at the old shoe store location and alerted County Planning to
question if permits had been submitted.

"Even though we are in the unincorporated part of the county, we can have
still have some type of say about what happens in our community," Shoen
said.

A medical-marijuana dispensary in Old Town Orcutt was rejected by the
building's owner despite approval from Santa Barbara County in July.

Neighbors and local business owners grew concerned when they received a
letter stating the county had approved a land-use permit for the
dispensary on West Clark Avenue.

At the time of the permit approval, Wellness Center Commercial Center had
a lease agreement of approval from Orcutt Trade Center owner Greti Croft,
according to county planning documents.

Once notices were delivered, Croft said, she was deluged with phone calls
from her tenants and fellow Orcutt residents. Croft said once she realized
her new tenant would be a marijuana dispensary, she canceled the
agreement.