Medical marijuana has become a fiercely debated topic in Kern County.
And now the Tehachapi city council is awaiting a vote that could do away with possible dispensaries, for good.
23 ABC spoke to many Tehachapi residents that say right now there are no pot shops in the city.
But many people were torn on the issue of selling marijuana legally in their community.
Opinions were very mixed about the idea of marijuana dispensaries coming to Tehachapi.
Some saying they see no harm.
“To me it's no more harmful than cigarettes or alcohol would be.. They're wasting their time on something that has been fought for years and is only becoming more and more accepted,” said one Tehachapi resident.
While others strongly believe it could ruin the city.
“It decimates a community. It brings a population to the community that doesn't necessarily need medical marijuana, strictly or medical purposes,” said another Tehachapi woman.
On Monday the Tehachapi city council met to discuss an ordinance that would ban all pot shops from city limits.
Including mobile delivery, and the cultivation of the pot.
One resident, Sorav Singh, said he would be neutral but sees why both sides are arguing.
“Just in Tehachapi I feel like it's kind of a centered place. It has its own beliefs and its own values has like its own respect area. So I mean people will be against it but at the same time the younger generation will fight against it and that's the conflict,” said Singh.
Conflict or not Tehachapi resident Chris Chaney said -- he saw marijuana become legalized in Washington state and says it only caused minimal impact.
“The shops themselves generate jobs and tax revenue and I felt overall, even though we were the guinea pigs and I wasn't too thrilled about guinea pigging that ordinance, it worked out pretty well I think,” said Chaney.
Tehachapi city council says later this month the plan is to hold a public hearing followed by a vote on this ordinance that will mirror the one already in place in Kern County.
