what is your opinion on marijuana?

"Wiki Says..!"

In 2009, the village garnered attention by legalizing the use of medical marijuana. The ordinance, which passed by a 3-2 vote, permits Cliff Village residents to grow and possess marijuana with a physician's approval.[4]

A small Ozarks town's medicinal marijuana ordinance may be the most controversial ordinance that never was.

The town's former mayor contacted reporters in February to say it passed.

The new mayor says that never happened. In an April election the former mayor, Joe Blundell, lost big. As big as you can in a small-town election, four to fourteen. Many in Cliff Village want the ordinance and its publicity to fade away.

Cliff Village spans about three blocks. "It's a booming metropolis of about 55 people," Blundell says. Those people say they were bombarded with media when the town's former mayor gained a lot of attention. Blundell has his own blog. On it he has videos of himself promoting medicinal marijuana and playing the guitar. It's clear Blundell is passionate about what he calls the most useful plant in history. "There are the green benefits, the sustainability, the taxability, the medicinal, the heart benefits," Blundell says. "Much to the dismay of reason and clarity it has become this ooga-booga scary thing."

Local law enforcement say no matter Blundell's views marijuana is still illegal. "We did do helicopters flyovers and found no marijuna," Newton County Sheriff Ken Copeland says. "We also did not find anyone using marijuana in Cliff Village. Blundell tried to change that. As the former mayor, he says he helped pass an ordinance that allowed people who live in the village to grow and use a reasonable amount of marijuana to alleviate their medical conditions. Blundell says the ordinance passed three to two. "Some who supported it retracted after the publicity came out," Blundell says.

Many local and national media outlets reported the ordinance passed because Blundell told a Kansas City newspaper it did. The Associated Press picked up the article and news outlets across the country ran versions of that story. KSPR also reported a version of the Associated Press article. The new mayor, Mark Sweet, says the ordinance was not legally voted in. He says Blundell was given permission by board members to put the issue on the ballot not to pass it as an ordinance. Sweet says most of the town is ashamed of the media coverage. "Joe can say it passed but it didn't," Sweet says. "Maybe he's smoked too much medicinal marijuana." Blundell maintains the ordinance is still on the books. "They're gonna have to revote it on a meeting," Blundell says.

Blundell says he wanted to symbolically shed light on the legalization debate. He says he now understands the meaning of "be careful what you wish for." He says he felt police presence through the summer months. "They sent people up my private drive, helicopters over my house," Blundell says. Copeland says he must enforce state laws. Even though federal prosecutors announced they will not go after medicinal marijuna users in states that permit its use, marijuana is still illegal in Missouri.

Things in Cliff Village have changed. The village voted Blundell out and new mayor Sweet in. Many in the village say they are tired of pot jokes and insinuations that they must grow it. KSPR knocked on nearly every door. Each person did not want to be interviewed. Many said they felt betrayed by the media.

The city has a roaming city hall. It consists of an ordinance book and file cabinet that are kept in the current mayor's home. After receiving our Sunshine Law request, Sweet allowed us to view the ordinance book and meeting minutes. Among Blundell's handwritten meeting minutes, we found a typed version of the medicinal marijuana ordianance but no official meeting minutes showing it was approved. According to the village ordinance book, the last ordinance was added in 1974.

Sweet would not give us an interview but did give KSPR a written statement saying Blundell made himself a martyr for his cause at the expense of unwilling village residents. Blundell did achieve his goal of bringing publicity to the issue. "I'll bet a few stopped smoking after all the attention came," Blundell says. He says he never tested the symbolic ordinance. "I've got a business to run a lot of things to do with my time other then spend it in a cage," Blundell says. New city leaders say there was never an ordinance to test.

Blundell says he, his father and a third board member reportedly voted for the ordinance over the phone. Sweet says Blundell violated the Sunshine Law, village and state laws. He says board members are considering civil action against Blundell.