LA Limits Medical Marijuana
20 January 2010
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After more than two years of haggling, the Los Angeles City Council has adopted a far-reaching ordinance that is widely expected to significantly curtail access to medical marijuana. By a vote of 11-3, council members on January 20th approved a range of measures that stand to transform L.A. from of the most relaxed environments for medical marijuana use, to one of the most restrictive in the state.
Most significantly, the ordinance is expected to force hundreds of dispensaries in L.A. to close, leaving about 150 legal operations. In addition to a cap of 70-units, the ordinance exempts those that registered with the city in 2007 and are still operating.
The new rules will require that dispensaries operate at least 1,000 feet from schools, parks, libraries and other dispensaries. They will also be prohibited from turning a profit and be required to maintain detailed records while submitting to independent audits on an annual basis. They can not stay open past 8pm and must prohibit on-premises consumption. Additionally, those running dispensaries can operate no more than one location. Patients and caregivers, meanwhile, can retain membership in only one marijuana collective.
To take effect, the measures must be signed into law by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Although a spokesperson for the Mayor declined to say if he plans to sign the 17-page ordinance, Villaraigosa has voiced his support for laws limiting the number of dispensaries as well the enforcement of “buffer zones.”
While the absence of a unanimous vote requires that the council vote on the ordinance one more time, those familiar with City Council procedures note that the second vote is largely a formality. Also, the council still must approve a system that requires dispensaries to pay a fee to cover expenses related to monitoring their activities,
Medical marijuana advocates, including a number of those who operate dispensaries, have vowed to fight the new measures in court.
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