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ACLU Backs Sacramento Medical Cannabis Dispensary Moratorium Extension

The American Civil Liberties Union of Sacramento today wrote members of the Sacramento City Council - which is having a hearing Tuesday night about the extension of a moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries - that it is giving "qualified support for a one-year extension of the existing moratorium on medical cannabis dispensaries."

In reasoning that the moratorium should continue while the city looks for more "reasonable" regulations, the ACLU said proposed regulations were "superfluous."

"(M)any of the proposed regulations appeared to be superfluous given the relatively negligible impact of dispensary operations on police resources, particularly in comparison to the burdens placed by business establishments that serve alcohol in the evening hours," said the letter.

"Given the ACLU's longstanding support of the Compassionate Use Act of 1996 and the recognized health needs of so many Californians, the ACLU of Sacramento County Board of Directors remains committed to vigilantly monitoring this issue," said the letter signed by Nikos A. Leverenz, vice chair of the ACLU board of directors in Sacramento.

Leverenz will attend Tuesday's hearing on the matter at City Hall, and be available for comment.