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L.A. Cuts Back on Medical Marijuana Dispensaries
Posted by CN Staff on June 07, 2010 at 18:41:17 PT
By Daniel B. Wood, Staff Writer 
Source: Christian Science Monitor 
Sherman Oaks, Calif. -- As a Los Angeles ordinance takes effect Monday, shuttering more than 400 medical marijuana dispensaries, proprietors are complying, but not without a promise to return.From 2007 to 2009, the number of medical marijuana dispensaries grew from 183 to over 800. The new law caps their number at 70, and spreads them equally among all areas of the city.
Officials felt that too many had proliferated in the Venice Beach area and Hollywood. Moreover, some were close to schools, churches, or parks had brought complaints from neighbors for attracting gang and criminal elements.“I just don’t think they should be here and I hope they’re gone soon,” says Monica Robek, mother of three, who feels that marijuana dispensaries, even for medical purposes, send the wrong message to her kids.Under the new law, any dispensary that has been at its current location since before Sept. 14, 2007 may be eligible to register and operate if it complies with state laws and meets new population percentage requirements. And if the number of dispensaries ever falls below 70, a drawing will be held to fill the vacancy, provided its owner has no record of a felony in the past decade and is not on parole for sale of a controlled substance.Marijuana reform activists say the law likely isn't the end of the line for L.A.'s medical marijuana dispensaries.“History shows that crackdowns on medical marijuana are rarely successful,” says Dale Gieringer, California state coordinator for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML). “Every time the government has acted to shut down clubs, even more have grown back in their place. It is doubtful whether the city will succeed in closing as many facilities as it intends.”Many of the city's dispensaries could transform themselves into mobile delivery services, reorganize as branch offices, or “metastasize into nearby communities,” he says.At least 64 dispensary owners have sued, asking for court orders to halt enforcement of the law.The whole ordinance could be rendered moot if voters approve the Tax and Regulate Cannabis 2010 ballot initiative this November, which would make California the first state to approve marijuana use beyond medical purposes.Source: Christian Science Monitor (US)Author: Daniel B. Wood, Staff WriterPublished: June 7, 2010Copyright: 2010 The Christian Science Publishing SocietyContact: letters csmonitor.comWebsite: http://www.csmonitor.com/ URL: http://drugsense.org/url/0WwsTNvACannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on June 15, 2010 at 04:24:02 PT
News Article from The LA Times Blog
169 Seek To Run Medical Marijuana Establishments in L.A. June 14, 2010When the deadline passed Monday afternoon, Los Angeles city officials counted 169 notifications from people who intend to continue running medical marijuana dispensaries.Dispensary operators crowded the city clerk’s office to beat the 4 p.m. deadline that ended the weeklong notification period. Burdened by the paperwork-intensive process, relieved staffers cheered when the last form was filled out.“The majority came in on the Mondays and then it was steady in between,” said Holly L. Wolcott, the executive officer for the city clerk. The ordinance, which took effect June 7, limits dispensaries to those that had registered by Nov. 13, 2007, have the same operator and have moved no more than once.Those dispensaries have six months to comply with the ordinance, which puts tight restrictions on their locations. City officials, conducting an informal survey, estimated there were about 137.The higher application number, at least in part, reflects competing claims filed for the same dispensaries. A few operators, who asked not to be identified, said some original operators who are no longer involved have tried to reassert control over the stores.If the city succeeds in closing more than 400 other dispensaries, the remaining shops could be extremely lucrative. Wolcott said this is the main complication the clerk’s office discovered in the last week.“We’re going to have to seek legal advice,” she said. The city attorney’s office, which drafted the ordinance, will probably become involved. “I’m sure we’ll do it as a collaborative thing,” said Jane Usher, a special assistant city attorney.-- John Hoeffel at Los Angeles City HallCopyright: 2010 Los Angeles TimesURL: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/06/169-seek-to-run-medical-marijuana-establishments-in-la-.html
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Comment #2 posted by dongenero on June 09, 2010 at 07:13:46 PT
Where's the Tea Party - Cali's providing the tea
Government forcing businesses closed.Where's a conservative when you need one?
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on June 08, 2010 at 17:56:11 PT
News Article from The LA Times Blog
City Prosecutors Release List of 439 Medical Marijuana Dispensaries That Must CloseJune 8, 2010URL: http://drugsense.org/url/avedV7F2
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