SAN JOSE — As Santa Clara County officials prepare to recommend a total ban on medical marijuana dispensaries in unincorporated areas, cannabis advocates said at a public hearing Thursday that in the wake of San Jose’s restrictions it could mean more hardship for South Bay patients in need of their medicine.

The hearing was held after previous county meetings — which never saw the pro-pot turnout as seen at those before the San Jose City Council — resulted in a 45-day moratorium. The hold was aimed at keeping any clubs from setting up shop until the supervisors can revisit the issue on Aug. 5, after their summer recess.

But this week’s hearing revealed what county planners and administrators will recommend: A complete ban on any cannabis outlets, similar to laws passed in Gilroy, Los Gatos, Milpitas, Morgan Hill and Sunnyvale. Statewide, about 200 municipalities have adopted such a ban.

Deputy County Executive Sylvia Gallegos said that after consulting with the sheriff, district attorney and other county bodies, “every single department was emphatic that we institute a ban, not strictly regulate” cannabis clubs.

About a dozen stakeholders showed up to Thursday’s meeting, with patients talking about adverse effects of the city barring edibles and concentrates — products that are especially helpful for certain medical conditions.

“I’m homeless with cancer, and now I have to deal with this?” said Zsa Zsa Taylor, a cancer patient who was left without a source when the tincture that helps her disappeared from San Jose shops last week. “Now I’m trying to find a black market connection to get my oil. I’ve never done anything illegal in my life and now I have to go illegal.”

Gallegos said the county is very sympathetic to legitimate medical concerns. One recommendation that she said she plans to make to the board of supervisors is that the county monitor the fallout from San Jose’s restrictions; if the number of outlets falls below a threshold that can be considered sufficient for patient needs, the board can revisit the issue and possibly undo the ban.

“But if we do that, the regulations are going to be pretty robust,” she said. That would include distance regulations from spots that might be adversely affected, and measures to ensure that only patients get medicine from the facilities.

“They would have to be pretty dang stringent,” she said.

Advocates said they would like to see the county extend the moratorium while a better model than a complete ban is developed, working closely with dispensaries and patients.

“A ban is craziness,” said Scott Lane, who is not a patient or involved in the business but said he believes the county is poised to follow San Jose in bad governance. “The county has always been a safety net of last resort. This is right in your ballpark.”

While advocates believe that cannabis operations can locate anywhere under the state’s 1996 initiative that legalized medical marijuana, a recent state Supreme Court ruling made it clear that local governments can enact regulations or outright bans.

City officials have said dispensaries in San Jose were technically operating illegally for years, but the lack of regulations on the books meant the city still had the bulk of Silicon Valley’s pot outlets. On June 10, after several long meetings on the matter, the city opted to restrict the clubs to mainly industrial areas in about 1 percent of the city. That means that all but about seven to 10 of the city’s 78 dispensaries will be illegally operating within a year.

“There’s no cap on the number of dispensaries that can apply to operate in San Jose,” said San Jose Assistant City Manager Angelique Gaeta. “The remainder could actually relocate to one of the 623 potential parcels available in the city.”

But pot advocates said that considering the location restrictions as well as requirements that they grow all their weed in or around Santa Clara County, limit store hours and pay for 24-hour security, it amounts to a de facto ban.

And LeAnna Gomez, CEO of San Jose-based Papadon’s dispensary, said that she’s had to close three of five operations so far.

“I’ve been looking night and day for those 630 parcels,” she said. “They’re not available. They’re occupied.”

County officials said there were concerns that as a result of stricter controls in city limits, shops would pop up in the unincorporated, rural areas. And that could mean a foothold for outlets selling the drug recreationally, if a state initiative to legalize pot qualifies for the ballot and is approved by voters in 2016.

Previously, dispensaries were allowed in specific areas of the county if they complied with various planning, zoning and public safety requirements. Since 2009, six were established, with five shut down by the Sheriff’s Department within a month and the sixth in a neighborhood that was since annexed to San Jose.

At previous meetings, supervisors worried that dispensaries upped marijuana use for high school students, That was a key reason for San Jose’s ban, as various opponents pointed to studies that showed kids were indeed getting their marijuana at legal dispensaries. Speakers also said the weed businesses were detrimental to the character of suburban neighborhoods and added to crime and blight.

John Lee, who led the recent failed campaign for a cannabis club referendum in San Jose, said there’s more to worry about if only illegal sources remain.

“The black market is already increasing,” he said. “It has the exact opposite effect and we’re putting our children in danger. I can take you to a street corner right now and show you a gang member saying, ‘Hey, I’m open for business.’ “

Contact Eric Kurhi at 408-920-5852. Follow him at Twitter.com/erickurhi.