The Santa Cruz Sentinel - 6/15/06 -- In a 6-1 vote Tuesday night, the Santa Cruz City Council denied two appeals aiming to halt opening the city's second medical marijuana dispensary.

The dispensary was unanimously approved by the city Planning Commission in April; that approval was challenged and the matter brought before the council. On Tuesday, several neighbors and business owners from the Harvey West neighborhood voiced concerns over parking, lighting and litter removal.

Most in the overflow crowd at the meeting, however, spoke in favor of the shop.

K.E. Sampson, a Corralitos resident and medical marijuana patient, plans to turn an empty office building on Limekiln Street into The Santa Cruz Patient Collective.

Sampson says his business will improve the neighborhood, where homeless people gather and live, and provide access to the drug for the estimated 3,000 medical pot patients in the county.

Councilman Mike Rotkin said the council could consider limiting the number of dispensaries.

URL: http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2006/June/15/local/stories/11local.htm