Tehachapi residents angrily walk out of a city council meeting after the city took the first step in banning medical marijuana.(KBAK/KBFX photo)

Tehachapi is the latest city in Kern County to take action under a new state law that allows local governments to prohibit marijuana cultivation, processing, delivery and medical marijuana dispensaries.

However, medical marijuana patients have strong objections towards the proposed ordinance under consideration by the City Council.

"By shutting off access for people to grow their own and to keep for themselves, you're taking away people's medicine," said Dave Gwaylon a medical marijuana advocate.



Several residents spoke out against the proposed ordinance at Monday evening's Tehachapi City Council meeting, saying they depend on medical marijuana to relieve a number of conditions and ailments that prescription drugs cannot provide.

The council members voted 5-0 in favor of the proposed ordinance during a first reading. That prompted numerous people to storm out, yelling their displeasure at the action by the City Council.

"We're not talking about just pot-headed kids causing trouble," said 63-year-old Tehachapi resident Victoria Kendall.

She said she uses medical marijuana to help her sleep.

"I'm really upset. I really would like to see them suffer with some of the things, the ailments, that some of us people who are using marijuana to help with the pain," Kendall said.

Tehachapi mayor Susan Wiggins said the city is wants to be in line with what other cities are doing in taking an aggressive stance against marijuana dispensaries.

"We want to be able to block them before we have a whole city of them," said Wiggins. Asked if the city couldn't come up with a compromise to meet the needs of legitimate medical marijuana users, Wiggins said she hadn't heard any talk about that coming from her colleagues on the City Council.

"(Marijuana) is a gateway drug," said Wiggins. "I'm not saying that these people are anywhere like that, but we want to be able to control these things where our children can get a hold of them."

The ordinance is not yet final. The City Council must approve a second reading and will most likely take up the matter at its' next City Council meeting. Medical marijuana advocates said they will be there again to state their case."

"I hope there's hope because I believe that prayer and truth overpowers lies and stupidity," said resident Sharon Gorrell.







