Medical marijuana users in Sammamish will have to wait at least another six months if they hope to start a grow operation within the city limits.

The City Council voted Dec. 11 to extended its moratorium on allowing anyone to apply for a collective gardens through July 2013.

“We’re kicking this down the road because … there is so much we’re piling on the plate this coming year, to add one more thing could be the breaking point,” said Deputy Mayor John James.

Councilman Ramiro Valderrama, the only dissenting vote, wanted to eliminate the idea of collective gardens in Sammamish altogether.

“This is the fourth or fifth time it’s come before the city council and the third time with this council,” Valderrama said. “I believe while we are occupied and the Planning Commission is occupied, it would serve everyone to kill this. In a year and a half that we’ve had this, no one has come up to spoke on its behalf. We have had numerous people speak against this.”

Before making a final decision, the city will continue to review how other jurisdictions deal with the issue of collective gardens and determine what, if any, specific zoning or business regulations should apply.