Nevada City to hold workshop on medical marijuana dispensaries

 Nevada City will hold an informational workshop on a proposed ordinance that would allow medical marijuana dispensary to do business in city limits.

  It is scheduled to go from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday at City Hall in downtown Nevada City.

  According to a press release from City Manager Gene Albaugh, the workshop is designed to educate and inform the public of the issues  the Council needs to consider in order to determine if Nevada City will permit a dispensary and, if it does,  what should be the content of an ordinance governing the dispensary's operation.

  The workshop will not address whether medical marijuana is beneficial or even appropriate or the merits of legalization, the press release said. The meeting will address the following issues: Is there an appropriate location for a dispensary in Nevada City; social questions surrounding a dispensary; the financial impact of a dispensary; the consequences of not allowing a dispensary; Location - Where, if anywhere, is acceptable; and the potential benefits of a dispensary.

  The meeting will examine the proposed 19-page ordinance as well as the intent of the Compassionate Use Act, which allows doctors to prescribe medical marijuana.

 Since this is a workshop, the City Council will take no action on Wednesday night. The council recently voted to table the issue for one year.