Mission Viejo Rejects Pot Dispensaries

The Mission Viejo City Council has rejected a plan to legalize commercial businesses in the city despite a recommendation from the Planning Commission.

Council members Trish Kelley and Brian Goodell voted in favor of discussing the issue last month. Mayor Wendy Bucknum, Mayor Pro Tem Ed Sachs, and Greg Raths voted no.

Sachs revived the ‘gateway drug’ theory of marijuana, calling it an “entry-level” substance. Kelley worried about the potential exposure to children.

According to Community Development Director Elaine Lister, legal dispensaries would generate an estimated $250,000 to $350,000 annually in sales tax revenue.