RIALTO – A public hearing on Tuesday may set a future course on dispensing medical marijuana, which includes discussion to ban a mobile cannabis dispensary service.
Rialto police countered that while storefront operators are under a city ordinance that bans the sale of marijuana, technically there are no statutes governing mobile businesses. Local authorities say that a mobile business is technically considered part of the storefront ordinance.
The department’s Street Crime Attack Team, while working undercover last summer, ordered marijuana from on-line vendors, specifically through the website Weedmaps.com. The website displayed over 50 such services within a 20-mile radius of Rialto – six located within city limits, said authorities. Customers were able to obtain various types of marijuana by calling the business and presenting their medical marijuana card user number. They could set a time and place for delivery.
During the task force undercover sting, three dispensaries were sought to deliver marijuana products to a vacant apartment. It resulted in three drivers being arrested for transporting and selling marijuana, plus a violation of health and safety codes, according to a report.
A police spokesman has said all three vendors will be prosecuted for a variety of charges, which could result in penalties ranging from a $1,000 fine, six months imprisonment, or both. Violators could also be charged with infractions, which lead to a $100 fine for the first time, $200 for the second and $500 for each additional charge within two years of the initial violation.
The public hearing on the proposed ordinance is scheduled at 6 p.m. during the normal City Council meeting at 150 South Palm Ave.
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The Sun: Rialto City Council may ban mobile marijuana dispensaries
