Pot club goes up in smoke
County authorities have snuffed out a short-lived marijuana dispensary in Boyes Hot Springs.
Alikchi Wellness, identified by a hand-dawn paper sign in a duplex window at 17503 Sonoma Highway, opened quietly about two weeks ago. So quietly it took authorities a while to catch on. But Monday, with all county agencies up and running after a holiday furlough, the business was shut down because it lacked the proper permit.
The operator this week submitted a use permit application to the county’s Permit and Resource Management Department, but the request was dismissed because the pot club’s location, near both Flowery School and the Teen Center, violates a county ordinance.
The law prohibits a marijuana dispensary within 1,000 feet of any public school, park or establishment, public or private, that caters to or provides services primarily to persons under 18 years of age.
Kim Pelham, one of the co-operators, has a shaky history of pot club operations. Her Napa operation was shut down last year for operating without a business license and in violation of zoning laws, the Napa Register reported in October. She was fined $14,000, in part for failing to disclose the true nature of the business when applying for a city license.
Pelham was additionally charged with allegedly disobeying a court order to cease operating the Napa dispensary, a misdemeanor charge.
A 2009 effort to open a dispensary in American Canyon led to Pelham and her associates being permanently barred from operating any medical marijuana dispensary, or any related business, within the city limits, a Superior Court judge ruled.
Her Corte Madera operation also closed that year amid conflicts with city authorities.
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A Motion to pass a TEMPORARY MORATORIUM ON THE ESTABLISHMENT AND OPERATION OF MEDICAL MARIJUANA DISPENSARIES AND COOPERATIVES was introduced tonight at City Council for consideration during the Public Open Comment period.
The City of Sonoma has no detailed policies and procedures to handle a request and approval/denial for a Dispensary. In prior years Sonoma had a Dispensary open and later was shut down for issues regarding disturbances and theft of the Marijuana and regulated property. Additional requests and attempts have been made and in the waks of this attempt in The Springs will be faced with again.
Sonoma needs to place a Stay in effect now, and then caucus on the issue to decide if it should be a permanent ban (my personal choice) or develop guidelines.
I full respect a persons rights to enjoy alternate organic and holistic methods including marijuana use under medicial purposes but I feel a proper location would be away from densly populated residential areas, teen centers, schools and other places where children are centered.