Fullertons wannabe Mayor apparently thinks he knows better than the voters of California. The way patients obtain their medication from Dispensaries isn't good enough in his eyes and he's going out of his way to make sure Dispensaries are shut down in the city of Fullerton.

The legality of medical marijuana in cities across California is a foggy subject and local governments are struggling to decide how dispensaries should be managed.

While some cities have no ordinances banning the business of medical marijuana dispensaries, Fullerton and other cities have taken measures to keep these pot-distributing cooperatives away.

Ever since the Compassionate Use Act of 1996 and Medical Marijuana Program Act were passed, cooperative networks of medical marijuana distribution have grown immensely.

Currently, marijuana has been legalized in various states for medicinal purposes, but ironically, the drug is still classified as a Schedule I controlled substance by the Drug Enforcement Administration. This implies that marijuana still has a high potential for abuse and is not currently accepted for use in medical treatment.

Technically, dispensaries should be able to operate legally as long as they’re nonprofit. However, many cities have avoided the additional costs of law enforcement, zoning regulations and overall community impact. In effect, many cities have enacted ordinances that prohibit the business of medical marijuana dispensaries. In February 2008, Fullerton’s City Council overturned the decision to allow dispensaries in town in a 4-1 vote.

Don Bankhead, a Cal State Fullerton alumnus and Fullerton’s current mayor pro-tem, served on the Fullerton City Council in 2008. Based on his own marijuana research, his vote against the dispensaries was justified by his disagreement with the methods being used to distribute the drug and the ease of access to individuals.