After years of controversy over medical marijuana, the Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday decided to ban every clinic in the city - but left the door open for some to reopen in the future.
The 14-0 decision came after some five hours of debate, including three hours behind closed doors, as well as passionate opposing testimony from medical marijuana advocates and neighbors frustrated by the problems the clinics create.
In a separate vote, the council OK'd a plan to study allowing 182 dispensaries to open in the future, following more extensive analysis by the Planning Department over the next several months.
City Councilman Jose Huizar, a co-author of the ban, said the city has simply been unable to properly control the dispensaries. In Eagle Rock, for example, he said, there are 13 clinics.
"That's too many for such a small area," Huizar said. "All we hear are complaints about the number of dispensaries and the problems around them."
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa plans to sign the measure, his office said Tuesday, and it would take effect 30 days after his signature.
The vote reversed the council's earlier decisions to allow dispensaries to remain open if they had obtained the proper permits from the city.
The city has struggled with the medical marijuana issue for years, with most officials wanting to keep dispensaries open to help legitimate patients, but fielding complaints from residents and police about
crime and neighborhood nuisances.
The number of clinics has grown to 762 registered with the city, and possibly hundreds more that are believed to be unregistered.
"This is a much more clear-cut measure than we have had," Huizar said after the vote. "The state law never included dispensaries.
We are saying they will not be allowed in the city of Los Angeles."
http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_21...ban-medical-marijuana-dispensaries?source=rss
LOL
This is really gonna piss off Obama voters, anyone could have seen this coming where the pot shops outnumbered Starbucks two to one.
The 14-0 decision came after some five hours of debate, including three hours behind closed doors, as well as passionate opposing testimony from medical marijuana advocates and neighbors frustrated by the problems the clinics create.
In a separate vote, the council OK'd a plan to study allowing 182 dispensaries to open in the future, following more extensive analysis by the Planning Department over the next several months.
City Councilman Jose Huizar, a co-author of the ban, said the city has simply been unable to properly control the dispensaries. In Eagle Rock, for example, he said, there are 13 clinics.
"That's too many for such a small area," Huizar said. "All we hear are complaints about the number of dispensaries and the problems around them."
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa plans to sign the measure, his office said Tuesday, and it would take effect 30 days after his signature.
The vote reversed the council's earlier decisions to allow dispensaries to remain open if they had obtained the proper permits from the city.
The city has struggled with the medical marijuana issue for years, with most officials wanting to keep dispensaries open to help legitimate patients, but fielding complaints from residents and police about
crime and neighborhood nuisances.
The number of clinics has grown to 762 registered with the city, and possibly hundreds more that are believed to be unregistered.
"This is a much more clear-cut measure than we have had," Huizar said after the vote. "The state law never included dispensaries.
We are saying they will not be allowed in the city of Los Angeles."
http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_21...ban-medical-marijuana-dispensaries?source=rss
LOL
This is really gonna piss off Obama voters, anyone could have seen this coming where the pot shops outnumbered Starbucks two to one.