City officials, residents discuss what the future may hold for recreational marijuana in Glendale
An unrolled marijuana joint is pictured in this file photo taken on Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2016 in San Francisco.
In the first of what will be a number of community outreach meetings regarding the recently passed Proposition 64, more than 100 people filled the lower level of the Glendale Civic Auditorium Wednesday night to learn about and question the future of recreational marijuana use in Glendale.
The Glendale municipal code and Proposition 64 are somewhat at odds, so much so that city staff organized a community meeting and put together informational materials to help gauge the community — which voted 54% in favor of the proposition — on how to later address the Glendale City Council.
Proposition 64, which passed on Nov. 8 in California, allows those 21 years old and older to use marijuana for recreation, which means adults in the state can buy, possess and transport up to 28.5 grams of cannabis.
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Farmworkers separate stems and leaves from marijuana plants at Los Suenos Farms in Avondale, Colo., in this file photo taken on Oct. 4, 2016.
Also included is the ability for indoor cultivation of up to six marijuana plants. Public consumption, driving under the influence or use by anyone under 21 is prohibited.
The city of Glendale, however, currently doesn’t allow any marijuana dispensaries, indoor or outdoor cultivation or delivery or distribution of any marijuana products.
“People are going to smoke marijuana. Do we regulate it to a point where we only have a certain number of dispensaries and put very strict regulations in place like alcohol or tobacco?” said city spokesman Tom Lorenz at the meeting. “Do we restrict it and then force it underground where gangs now take control of it in our community because people still need to get it because they want it?”
Do we restrict it and then force it underground where gangs now take control of it in our community because people still need to get it because they want it?
— Tom Lorenz, Glendale spokesman
After a brief presentation, there was a question-and-answer session with the audience, but Lorenz made sure the discussion would maintain its educational nature and not devolve into a debate on the pros and cons of legalizing marijuana.
The audience, for the most part, reflected the outcome of the Glendale vote, asking the city to allow local dispensaries in some capacity. They generally spoke favorably about the economic and health benefits of marijuana, as well as the early successes of other states such as Colorado, where voters passed similar measures.
For those who opposed increased access, the conversation centered around the ease for those under 21 to obtain marijuana and the resulting possibility of a jump in health issues in the city.
Some pertinent questions remained after the meeting, ones that Lorenz encouraged residents to continue to talk about. These included how to regulate the number of dispensaries and marijuana storefronts as well as how revenue from a marijuana tax should be spent.
According to Lorenz, the city will conduct more meetings and surveys on Proposition 64 over the next few months with the collected feedback to be sent to the Glendale City Council for consideration sometime in the summer or fall of this year.
“We don’t want to be in a position where the state of California is telling Glendale what to do,” Lorenz said. “We, as a city, want to stand up on our own two feet and say this is who we are.”
For more information, including the survey and slide show of the presentation on Wednesday, visit Prop64Education.org.
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Jeff Landa, jeff.landa@latimes.com
Twitter: @JeffLanda
