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(26 votes) 1:18 pm
June 20, 2007
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From the "jeeez, just legalize it already for 21 and over like booze" department:
There are more than 1,000 medical marijuana facilities in the city of Los Angeles. The sheer volume of stores is part of the problem for the city, which is having a hard time regulating the clinics. Past attempts to shut them down have been met with lawsuits from the clinics.
Now, the city is taking what some consider drastic measures. The City Attorney's Office sent out letters to all the medical marijuana facilities in L.A. telling them that as of Sept. 6, they will need to shut their doors. If they do not comply, the clinics will face legal action and fines up to $2,500 a day for each day they remain n operation after the deadline.
The L.A. City Council voted in July to ban storefront marijuana dispensaries, citing a lack of clarity on how the city can legally regulate the distribution of medical cannabis and the potential threat of federal legal action against the city.
The council's vote allows primary caregivers and patients to grow and transport marijuana. Under the new ordinance, two or three patients are allowed to collectively grow and share marijuana in homes or apartments, but not storefronts. Those who have medical marijuana cards will still be able to grow and smoke marijuana. They just won't be able to go into a clinic and buy it.
In response to the looming deadline and new ordinance, medical marijuana clinics are responding by gathering signatures and hoping to get a referendum on the ballot to overturn the city's decision.
7:57 am
October 7, 2010
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Got asked to sign one of those initiative to keep the pot shops open yesterday, and politely declined. I'm very sympathetic to medical marijuana, but the current situation is highly problematic and needs to be regulated.
Given the sheer number of these places that have opened up, my skeptical mind things its a lot more about making lots of money selling drugs than it is about helping people with their medical conditions. Someone is making huge profits, or they wouldn't be flocking to open them.
I've always maintained that medial marijuana should be properly dispensed by a legitimate pharmacy, just like any other prescription drug. That would solve a lot of these problems.
In the event that medical marijuana dispensaries do remain open, I would want them not to be located near schools and parks, and I would want a law stating that there can't be more than 1 of them within a reasonable distance from another.
In the end, the irresponsible actions of drug dealers taking advantage of medical marijuana laws have brought this situation to where it is. No sympathy for them from me.
8:07 am
December 10, 2008
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About time.
1:34 pm
June 20, 2007
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Marijuana Dispensary Lawsuit Seeks to Stop L.A. Pot Shop Ban From Taking Effect Sept. 6
A group representing 300 marijuana dispensaries in L.A. filed suit today in an attempt to stop L.A.'s pot shop banfrom going into effect Sept. 6.
The Patient Care Alliance-Los Angeles was filing the suit at L.A Superior Court literally as we spoke to director Marc O'Hara. The suit seeks temporary injunction that would stop the city's dispensary ban.
But O'Hara admitted that, by the time the matter is heard, the ban will have already taken effect:
He said it would probably take four to six weeks to be heard and that the group is not seeking emergency action.
However, O'Hara offered up some hope for shops that plan to stay open: He thinks the city will not try to enforce the ban immediately because it would be a difficult task: There are more than 1,000 dispensaries in the city.
O'Hara also said that dispensaries could file for temporary restraining orders against the city while the Patient Care Alliance suit gets worked out.
The suit argues, essentially, that the city will be violating medical patients' First Amendment right to be able to freely associate with each other via medical marijuana dispensaries.
"Cultivation and use for medical purposes is legal," O'Hara told us, "so trying to deny adults assocation is illegal."
O'Hara says the city's caveat that a maximum of three people can grow marijuana for medical sharing is legally pointless:
The idea that three people could lease the L.A. Coliseum and grown medical marijuana but that four people constitutes a criminal conspiracy is stupid.
If the city limits to three people growing, how many people don't have the wherewithal to grow medical marijuana? A homebound cancer survivor? It's on its face
a lame attempt to put a happy face on what I say is a heartless and reckless attempt to harm patients.
He said the filing is just a first step in permanently "seeking to overturn the ban entirely."
2:06 pm
July 8, 2010
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Money talks in this town!
This isn't about the medical value of a pain reliever but the vast amounts of money to be made, too much of it on the backs of our neighborhood.
I'm as tired of this struggle as the mess on OFW.
ShantyIrish
PS Where's the man, Bill Rosendahl come to the rescue!
3:03 pm
September 2, 2010
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Bret said
The suit argues, essentially, that the city will be violating medical patients' First Amendment right to be able to freely associate with each other via medical marijuana dispensaries.
That's laughable.
4:05 pm
June 2, 2010
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i think the way that california has handled medical marijuana has worked well. considering all the false information,fear,and just plain b.s. about marijuana this system does assure you are 21, a california resident and have a doctors recommendation as well as being able to recieve high quality medical grade marijuana.some doctors believe in the broad medicinal value more than others. some won't consider a recommendation, but will perscribe percoset or vialium quite easily. you have to go to the proper doctor for what ails you.that's as it should be.another factor is that it isn't easy to grow medical grade marijuana. alot of technical knowledge goes into it. there also has been no rise in crime any where due to dispensaries. they are run very low key(boardwalk exception). the only people to benefit from the closure are the criminals, sending people underground again. if there are enough marijuana users to keep this many dispensaries open how come our city council voted 14-0 to close them. seems alot would close in time. the only better situation would be to remove the medical restriction and just be for adults over 21.
4:29 pm
January 25, 2012
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Bret said
From the "jeeez, just legalize it already for 21 and over like booze" department:…
Bingo. Does anybody have a good argument why adults shouldn't be able to smoke weed if they choose, just like adults can drink wine, beer, whiskey, etc. if they choose?
I do think the medical marijuana license is a farce, but it's the result of people irrationally wanting pot to stay banned -- an unreasonable middle ground that was built with easily exploitable loopholes.
5:04 pm
June 20, 2007
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jonf said
Does anybody have a good argument
Well, the alcohol industry has about $393 billion dollars a year of economic activity they could stand to lose a chunk of … theirs isn't a good argument, but it is a well paid for argument that has their lobbyists keeping weed illegal.
5:11 pm
January 25, 2012
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Bret said
jonf said
Does anybody have a good argument
Well, the alcohol industry has about $393 billion dollars a year of economic activity they could stand to lose a chunk of … theirs isn't a good argument, but it is a well paid for argument that has their lobbyists keeping weed illegal.
I'd bet pharmaceutical companies are doing the same.
5:34 pm
September 2, 2010
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Bret said
Well, the alcohol industry has about $393 billion dollars a year of economic activity they could stand to lose a chunk of … theirs isn't a good argument, but it is a well paid for argument that has their lobbyists keeping weed illegal.
I'm not sure I can get behind that as a conspiracy. Are there that many people who would give up their booze because 7-11 was now selling weed? Isn't everyone who wants to smoke weed already smoking weed pretty much? I honestly don't know one person who isn't smoking weed because it's not legal. Seems like apples and oranges to me.
7:02 pm
June 20, 2007
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not native said
I'm not sure I can get behind that as a conspiracy.
I wasn't putting it forth as a conspiracy .. it would just be stupid business for them not to. If I was the CEO of Segrams, I'd be throwing money at lobbyists to try and shut weed down … there is only loss if it is legalized, not gain … that is just simple business, doesn't matter what the product is.
