Ronan holds marijuana meeting

RONAN - A short, specially-called Ronan city council meeting last Wednesday saw attending council members unanimously pass an emergency moratorium on medicinal marijuana in the city limits.

The council had previously created and passed on March 8 a six-month emergency zoning ordinance restricting medical marijuana operations to the south side highway commercial area.

After the six-person city planning board met on May 10, its recommendation to the city council was "to prohibit such establishments within any zoning classification in the City of Ronan, until such time as a proper regulatory scheme can be studied and a long-term recommendation made by the Planning Board to the City Council."

No one had applied for or attempted to open a shop, Mayor Kim Aipperspach said. A big issue in creating the moratorium, Aipperspach said, included recent violence surrounding medicinal marijuana, such as a murder in Kalispell, several assaults and a storefront being firebombed in Billings. The ordinance, No. 2010-04, says "that preservation of the public's peace, health, and safety requires an immediate passage and implementation of this measure."

Polson imposed a similar six-month emergency-zoning ordinance during its March 15 city council meeting. The ordinance created a blanket ban on all medicinal marijuana storefronts within city limits. In an attempt to get public feedback, the city has held two two-hour open meetings on April 27 and May 6. The city council has yet to determine how the permanent ordinance will read.

The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes announced a reservation-wide ban of medicinal marijuana to all tribal members on May 12 as well after having "wrestled with the complex issue." A press release said that the Tribal Council "ruled to retain their policy that renders the possession or selling of marijuana a criminal offense." If a caregiver supplies a tribal member, card holder or not, with marijuana, Lake County attorney Mitch Young advised the council that the provider could face felony distribution charges.

Ordinances and restrictions are still being created throughout Lake County. Statewide changes could be made during the next legislative session.