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File Number: 12 -343 impacts of facilities dispensing and /or cultivating medical marijuana. The City Council finds that these reports are relevant to the problems addressed by the City of San Leandro in enacting this Ordinance to preserve and safeguard public health, safety and welfare by protecting against the negative secondary effects and adverse impacts of facilities dispensing and /or cultivating medical marijuana, and more specifically finds that these reports provide convincing evidence that: (1) There is substantial evidence that other California cities that have permitted the establishment and operation of facilities for the purpose of dispensing or cultivating medical marijuana have experienced negative secondary effects and adverse impacts, including an increase in crimes of marijuana and narcotics distribution and use; an increase in other criminal activities in the vicinity of these facilities, such as robbery of patients as they go in or leave the dispensaries; increased instances of DUls and street dealings of illegal drugs; burglary of facilities dispensing medical marijuana; increases in violent crimes, such as armed robberies and murders; loss of trade for other commercial businesses located near these facilities; organized crime involvement in the ownership and operation of marijuana dispensaries; money laundering and firearms violations; physicians making recommendations for questionable or potentially questionable cases of qualified use of medical marijuana; unjustified and fictitious physician recommendations; street dealers in the vicinity of dispensaries offering marijuana at a lower price to arriving patrons; smoking of marijuana in the public; and increased noise and pedestrian traffic. (2) In light of the negative secondary effects and adverse impacts described above, the City Council finds that operation of facilities dispensing or cultivating medical marijuana will burden and strain the City's law enforcement resources, in that law enforcement assistance would often be required to address and respond to increased criminal activities. (3) California communities have also experienced that the operation of facilities dispensing medical marijuana negatively impact minors. For example, medical marijuana dispensaries advertise to high school students by leaving fliers on cars in the students' parking lot and offering discounts on marijuana products; medical marijuana shops target healthy minors as young as 14 years of age through street contacts, suggesting that students obtain medical marijuana cards; high school students are reportedly obtaining physician recommendations to use marijuana for such conditions as sleeplessness and stress; and minors are obtaining medical marijuana cards or physical recommendation for recreational and non - medicinal purposes. The City Council recognizes the possible harmful effects on minors exposed to the negative secondary effects and adverse impacts of facilities dispensing medical marijuana and recognizes the need to adopt this Ordinance, which will minimize and /or eliminate such exposure within San Leandro. (4) California communities have reported that the vast majority of facilities dispensing medical marijuana, purportedly as "cooperatives" or "collectives ", are operating in violation and contrary to the CUA and the MMPA, in that these marijuana dispensing facilities are large money making enterprises and are generally operating illegally for profit and are engaging in the "sale" of marijuana, instead of distributing or making marijuana available to qualified patients. City of San Leandro Page 6 Printed on 711012012