[420 Girl]

After listening to two hours of impassioned testimony about the benefits of medical marijuana, the Napa City Council voted unanimouslyTuesday night to begin the process to allow cannibis clinics.

The city expects to have regulations in place within six to nine months that would permit medical marijuana dispensaries.

Police officials had argued for a two-year ban on such clinics, saying they could become crime magnets because they would have large amounts of cash and marijuana on hand.

Council members acknowledged crime concerns, but said were impressed by well-run dispensaries in other communities and their own personal experiences.

Councilman Mark van Gorder said he reluctantly used medical marijuana when he was diagnosed with a potentially fatal cancer a decade ago. “I can’t stand marijuana,” he said, but “it was the only thing that would help.”

“It would calm me down since the thought of death would keep me up at night,” van Gorder said.

Councilman Peter Mott said he witnessed the relief from pain that marijuana brought to a close acquaintance with cancer. After seeing the medical benefits first hand, he would be hard pressed to deny medicinal marijuana to others, he said.

City Manager Mike Parness will report on Sept. 1 on how long it will take staff to come up with clinic regulations and the cost of perhaps hiring someone to oversee the task.

Parness estimated that it could take six to nine months, with public hearings along the way so that the community can comment.

More than two dozen people spoke in favor of medical marijuana dispensaries Tuesday night with nary a dissenting voice from the public, but council members wondered if perhaps opponents had been slow to get the word.

Given the long process needed to adopt dispensary regulations, “this is really just the start of the discussion in the community,” Councilwoman Juliana Inman said.

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