75A - PH - MEDICAL MARIJUANA - PROHIBIT

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The marijuana measure was put on the Santa Cruz ballot after at least 3,400 registered city voters signed their name to a petition earlier this year in support of easing up on pot smokers. The local. measure was funded almost entirely by Peter B. Lewis, a billionaire insurance tycoon in Cleveland who has spent millions of dollars to support marijuana causes nationwide. Contact Sharma McCord at smccord~a~sa.naacruzsentinel.com. Yrside i•9~asure fC • Adult marijuana crimes on private property are the lowest law enforcement priority, Santa Cruz police are not allowed to participate in countywide marijuana busts. • Santa Cruz police are not allowed to testify in marijuana cases. • Citizens oversight committee, appointed by the City Council, will monitor police reports related to marijuana crimes. • Santa Cruz cannot accept federal funds designated for fighting marijuana crimes. Source: httn://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2000/December/29/local/stories/04iocal htm Santa Cruz's Compassion Flower Inn owners heading for another joint BY SHANNA MCCORD SENTINEL STAFF WRITER SANTA CRUZ -The Santa Cruz bed, "bud" and breakfast, the butt of many jokes and center of media attention worldwide, has closed its doors. The owners of the Compassion Flower Inn on Laurel Street packed their bags and moved to Hawaii on Tuesday, leaving empty the inn established in 2000 primarily for medical marijuana users. "It's been a fun. ride," said Andrea Tischler, Compassion Flower Inn co-owner. "We are proud of our achievements in Santa Cruz and leave a considerable legacy behind." Tischler and her longtime partner, Maria Mall.ek-Tischler, who have been leaders in local efforts to legalize marijuana, said their business was hampered by problems in the neighborhood. They plan. to take their brand of medical marijuana business to Hawaii, where they want to open a care home for aging gays and lesbians. The two restored. the 140-year-old Victorian and converted it into a bed and breakfast that allowed guests to smoke joints with a doctor's permission. The inn h.ad five guest rooms that ran from $125-$17S a night. Decorating touches i~lcluded the mosaics on the tubs in the shape of a marijuana leaf, and a large marijuana leaf mosaic in the sidewalk leading to the front porch. Hemp leaves are painted on th.e walls, and guests were given complimentary bars of soap made with hemp. The drapes, bed spreads and pillowcases are all made from hemp fibers. The inn was known for its hemp seed pancakes, and late-night comedian Jay Leno joked during a monologue years ago that "Santa Cruz has a pot hotel, a place you can. find doobies under the pillows." Tischler said ongoing behavioral problems in the neighborhood contributed to its closure. She cited drug anal alcohol use by people hanging around the inn as factors that made staying in business difficult. "We'd be kept awake every night," Tischler said. "They would use our front yard and. parking lot as a bathroom. They'd steal anything not fastened down." 20 75A-94