Grass Valley officials are methodically putting together a medical marijuana dispensary ordinance under a year's moratorium, with increased crime, location and discretion at the top of the list of concerns.

“We have to take care of Grass Valley and make sure we have our ducks in a row before one opens,” said Vice-Mayor Jan Arbuckle on Tuesday.

Mayor Lisa Swarthout said the city will probably have a draft ordinance to review by the end of the summer and will work toward a solid law no matter what Nevada City or others might do to open a medical pot shop. At least two potential parties have expressed an interest in opening a dispensary in Nevada City, where officials have also been reviewing a possible ordinance.

“If we can come up with an ordinance and keep the community from harm, there is a potential to have one here (Grass Valley),” Swarthout said. “I'm not saying we will have one, but we want to come up with a good ordinance,” to put the city on solid legal ground, should someone apply.

“Nevada City will probably have an ordinance on the books before us,” but Grass Valley is not stalling just to let its sister city deal with the situation, Swarthout said. “Our police department still wants to get something on the books.”

Police Chief John Foster is working on the ordinance with City Attorney Ruthanne Ziegler and Community Development Director Joe Heckel.

In April, Foster brought concerns to the City Council about what possible medical marijuna dispensaries might do to the crime rate, pointing to increases around dispensaries in California, according to a study from the California Police Chiefs Association.

The study includes instances of homicides, burglaries and strong-arm thefts around dispensaries and marijuana grows and links them to street gangs.

Foster said Tuesday he is “absolutely” still worried about secondary crime from a marijuana dispensary and hoped to have a draft ordinance ready for the City Council to review by the end of August.

“The thing is, when communities let them come in without regulation, that's when they have problems,” Arbuckle said, basing her information on Foster's reports to the council.

“We know we can't prevent them because state law says they're legal,” Arbuckle said. She added that President Barack Obama apparently does not want to pursue or prosecute medical marijuana cases in California.

Swarthout said she recently checked out the Golden State Patient Care Collective medical marijuana dispensary in Colfax with Nevada City Councilwoman Sally Harris.

“It seems like they do a good job; they've had no problems” with crime or other matters, Swarthout said. “The people coming in had some serious health issues.

“I spent 45 minutes talking with the people who run it and I was impressed with their professionalism,” Swarthout said.

If the city does decide to allow a dispensary, “We can't have it next to schools or residential neighborhoods,” Swarthout said. “It needs good parking for people with wheelchairs” and other maladies.

“Certainly we shouldn't put it in downtown,” said Councilman Dan Miller. “We might like to see it around other medical facilities,” as Councilman Chauncey Poston earlier suggested.

“It's really important to put it in an appropriate spot where it's safe and not in the limelight,” Poston said. “It's pretty foreboding what the chief laid out for us,” referring to the study.

Poston said tight security and discretion are paramount for him as well.

“It can't be in your face and not just another head shop,” Poston said.

The councilman said he recently visited a medical marijuana dispensary in Fairfax (Marin County) while he was out of the town for Father's Day.

“It was quite surprising,” Poston said. “It was in a small shopping center and tastefully done.

“It was about 150 feet away from a Little League ball diamond, but one of their deals is they can't sell with a game going on,” Poston said. “It was very discreet, it wasn't on the main drag, you had to know how to get there.”

Poston said he did not interview anyone directly about the shop, but did find out it had been there since 1996, when state voters approved the Compassionate Care Act, approving medical marijuana.

The shop is called the Marin Alliance for Medical Marijuana.

“We don't have any problems with it, or reported issues with it,” said Sgt. Chris Morin at the Fairfax Police Department. No increase in crime has been directly related to the operation, he added.

“I just don't want to see it downtown,” said Councilwoman Yolanda Cookson. “If it is going to be used for medical purposes, it should be in a professional medical building.”

Cookson suggested any approved dispensary be considered where medical buildings are clustered in the Sierra College or the Joerschke Drive areas.

To contact Senior Staff Writer Dave Moller, e-mail dmoller@theunion.com or call 477-4237.