Thursday, July 26, 2012
Medical Marijuana Dispensary
Following protests in Northern California’s Bay Area against an Obama administration crackdown on medical marijuana dispensaries, the Los Angeles City Council this week voted to ban most such shops.
The unanimous decision was supported by the mayor, the police chief, the city’s attorney office, and local residents who had complained of troubles stemming from the dispensaries.
The ban impacts more than 760 pot dispensaries registered in the city. It does, however, permit patients and their caregivers to grow and share marijuana in groups of three people or fewer.
Activists scoffed at the provision, arguing few patients will have the time, resources, or skills to grow their own marijuana.
Council members also are considering whether to allow dozens of pot shops that opened before a 2007 moratorium went into effect to remain open.
Earlier in the week, hundreds of medical marijuana advocates protested in Oakland in advance of a fundraiser by President Barack Obama, whose administration went from leaving dispensaries alone to cracking down on them.
Meanwhile, California Assemblyman Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco) continues to push for legislation that would create statewide regulations on growing, transporting, and selling medical pot. The bill would establish a state board to enact and enforce statewide regulations on medical marijuana, require all dispensaries to register with the state and allow cities and counties to tax sales.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
L.A. City Council Bans Medical Marijuana Dispensaries (by Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times)
Los Angeles Council Bans Medical Marijuana Dispensaries (by Rory Carroll, The Guardian)
Oakland Protesters Call on Obama to Freeze Pot Clinic Crackdowns (by Lee Romney, Los Angeles Times)
LA Marijuana Dispensary Ban Approved by Council, Expected to Go Into Effect in 30 Days (by Kathleen Miles, Huffington Post)
State Lawmaker Vows to Push Ahead on Medical Marijuana Bill (by Michael J. Mishak, Los Angeles Times)
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