Operational groundrules for medical marijuana dispensaries in Pacific Beach and Mission Beach continue to be smoky after the San Diego City Council voted 6-2 on July 25 to repeal its four-month-old ordinance rather than put the measure before voters — a move that might have cost the city almost $1 million in election and printing costs. Council President Tony Young and Councilmember Marti Emerald said that since a successful petition drive brought in enough valid signatures to place the issue on a citywide ballot, voters should be given the choice to decide the matter, regardless of the cost. Councilman David Alvarez made a motion to repeal the ordinance, a call seconded by District 1 City Councilwoman Sherri Lightner. Also voting in favor were District 2 City Councilman Kevin Faulconer and councilmembers Todd Gloria, Carl DeMaio and Lori Zapf. “This will not be the end to this topic. But the issue of the dollar amount — almost a million dollars potentially that could be spent — weighs heavily on my decision today,” said Faulconer. With the repeal, medical marijuana dispensaries will again go unregulated in terms of how collectives can operate. Many supporters of medical marijuana helped collect signatures for the ordinance’s repeal. The City Clerk’s Office and the county Registrar of Voters Office determined there were 31,029 valid signatures collected, or about five percent of registered voters. Before being reversed Monday, the regulations basically put most medical marijuana firms out of business because they had to be only located in light-industrial zones and each one had to go through a long police-approved conditional-use permit process. Under the repealed ordinance, dispensaries could not be located within 600 feet of schools, parks, libraries and churches, and had to be operated as nonprofit entities. “Clearly, people do not support this ordinance,” said Alvarez. “I hope we can enact an ordinance that is fair to all people impacted by this.” Other councilmembers were unsure. “I’m not sure what a [possible citywide election] would tell us,” said Lightner. “It would be like sending $1 million up in smoke.” Councilmembers said that while some people signed petitions because the regulations appeared too strict, others felt the old ordinance didn’t go far enough. Rudy Reyes, who was severely burned in 2003 in the Cedar wildfire, speaks often about the benefits of medical marijuana to control pain. “If you decide to put it on the 2012 election ballot, you’re going to waste a bunch of money,” Reyes told the council. Many speakers talked about the pros and cons of medical marijuana itself, and Young had to remind them to tailor their remarks about whether the council should repeal the measure or put it on the ballot.