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Dispensaries and Associated Issues" presented to the California Police Chiefs Association, April <br /> to June 2010; "Medical Marijuana Dispensaries and Associated Issues" presented to the <br /> California Police Chiefs Association, January to March 2010; "Medical Marijuana Dispensaries <br /> and Associated Issues" presented to the California Police Chiefs Association, July to September <br /> 2008; "Medical Marijuana Dispensaries and Associated Issues" presented to the California <br /> Police Chiefs Association, April to June 2009; "Medical Marijuana Dispensaries and Associated <br /> Issues" presented to the California Police Chiefs Association, January to March 2009; "Medical <br /> Marijuana Dispensaries and Associated Issues" presented to the California Police Chiefs <br /> Association, September to December 2007; "Medical Marijuana Dispensaries and Associated <br /> Issues" presented to the California Police Chiefs Association, October to December 2009 <br /> "Medical Marijuana Dispensaries and Associated Issues" presented to the California Police <br /> Chiefs Association [undated]. These reports are available at the City's Community Development <br /> Department, noted as Exhibit B). <br /> (Q) In adopting this Ordinance, the City Council also takes notice of the existence and <br /> contents of various newspaper articles concerning negative secondary effects and adverse <br /> impacts of facilities dispensing and /or cultivating medical marijuana. The City Council finds <br /> that these reports are relevant to the problems addressed by the City of San Leandro in enacting <br /> this Ordinance to preserve and safeguard public health, safety and welfare by protecting against <br /> the negative secondary effects and adverse impacts of facilities dispensing and /or cultivating <br /> medical marijuana, and more specifically finds that these reports provide convincing evidence <br /> that: <br /> 1. There is substantial evidence that other California cities that have permitted the <br /> establishment and operation of facilities for the purpose of dispensing or cultivating <br /> medical marijuana have experienced negative secondary effects and adverse impacts, <br /> including an increase in crimes of marijuana and narcotics distribution and use; an <br /> increase in other criminal activities in the vicinity of these facilities, such as robbery of <br /> patients as they go in or leave the dispensaries; increased instances of DUIs and street <br /> dealings of illegal drugs; burglary of facilities dispensing medical marijuana; increases in <br /> violent crimes, such as armed robberies and murders; loss of trade for other commercial <br /> businesses located near these facilities; organized crime involvement in the ownership <br /> and operation of marijuana dispensaries; money laundering and firearms violations; <br /> physicians making recommendations for questionable or potentially questionable cases of <br /> qualified use of medical marijuana; unjustified and fictitious physician recommendations; <br /> street dealers in the vicinity of dispensaries offering marijuana at a lower price to arriving <br /> patrons; smoking of marijuana in the public; and increased noise and pedestrian traffic. <br /> 2. In light of the negative secondary effects and adverse impacts described above, <br /> the City Council finds that operation of facilities dispensing or cultivating medical <br /> marijuana will burden and strain the City's law enforcement resources, in that law <br /> enforcement assistance would often be required to address and respond to increased <br /> criminal activities. <br /> 3. California communities have also experienced that the operation of facilities <br /> dispensing medical marijuana negatively impact minors. For example, medical marijuana <br /> dispensaries advertise to high school students by leaving fliers on cars in the students' <br /> parking lot and offering discounts on marijuana products; medical marijuana shops target <br /> healthy minors as young as 14 years of age through street contacts, suggesting that <br /> -5- <br />