This coming Tuesday, March 6, the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors will hear the appeal of the Planning Commission approval
(by a 4-1 vote) to allow a medical cannabis collective outlet in unincorporated Oceano. Should the Board deny this appeal, a single storefront location anywhere in SLO County would be allowed for the first time in five years.
Board members
have indicated that they will be directly influenced by the level of supportive turnout at this meeting. Thus it is
IMPERATIVE that patients and others in support of safe access come to the meeting and
fill the seats in the room, even if you do not wish to address the Board during the comment period. I know firsthand how important this is: after Morro Bay residents voted not to ban dispensaries, the City Council decided not to continue pursuing guidelines to allow any dispensary outlet. Council members stated specifically that they reached that decision by being strongly influenced by the lack of Morro Bay residents among the supporters in the audience that day.
Our local chapter of Americans for Safe Access has been steadily active for the past two years in promoting safe access to medical cannabis by those who are compliant with State law to obtain and use this medicine. Despite the fact that a strong majority in the county support medicinal cannabis (and voters here in 2010 even passed Prop. 19 to legalize recreational use), it is continually apparent that our criminal justice agencies here are keeping patients and providers in such fear of arrest that they will not come out of the shadows, just as they did not turn out at the Morro Bay meeting.
Help us demonstrate to the Board of Supervisors that we the people DO want and need a satisfactory level of patient access to medicinal cannabis. If you are a patient or a non-patient supporter, PLEASE ATTEND this most important meeting. If you are willing to speak up during the comment period, even better! But simply turning out anonymously and filling the seats will in itself help send this most important message to the Board.
This matter is on the Board's afternoon agenda,
scheduled to convene at 1:30 pm. The Board Chambers are located at 1055 Monterey Street, San Luis Obispo (between Santa Rosa Street and the Fremont Theater). For additional information, email
asaprop215@gmail.com.
