Photo: AP/Russel A. Daniels
You can add the name of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to the list of Los Angeles area officials seeking to crack down on L.A.'s medical marijuana network. On Tuesday, Villaraigosa said that he wants to drastically reduce the number of medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles, from the current estimated number of at least 800 down to 200 or less.
Having Mayor Villaraigosa jump on the crackdown bandwagon could make it more likely that the Los Angeles City Council takes a harder line against medical marijuana distribution in Los Angeles. Last Tuesday, the Council drafted language to be included in a comprehensive ordinance to regulate medical marijuana. The ordinance would not specifically permit the "sale" of medical marijuana, and thus could affect the practices of many Los Angeles medical pot dispensaries, which distribute medical marijuana to "qualified patients" in cash transactions that some officials consider clearly to be "sales."
However, if Los Angeles shuts down existing dispensaries under a new, stricter enforcement regime as Mayor Villaraigosa wishes, such dispensaries cannot all be expected to go quietly. Indeed, in September, the Los Angeles Collective Association and the Westside Green Oasis Dispensary sued the City after Green Oasis was denied a permit under the current moratorium banning new pot dispensaries in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles County Superior Court agreed with Green Oasis that L.A.'s medical marijuana moratorium violated the California Compassionate Use Act, and slapped an injunction on the City against enforcing its moratorium on Green Oasis. More such lawsuits could prove very costly to cash-strapped Los Angeles.
All of which begs the question: if having so many medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles is such a bad idea, why did the Mayor and the City Council let them proliferate in the first place?
© 2009 Matthew Emmer -- All Rights Reserved
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Comments
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is a Civil Serpent who can't even be honest and faithful to his own blood family, so why should the masses of LA cannabis patients give a hoot what his opinion is sir?
The mayor, the district attorney, the police, and all the others who are opposing the voters are an example of how we have lost democracy in the USA. LA is full of violent crime, pollution, noise, traffic jams, and California is bankrupt. In those circumstances, enforcement of marijuana laws as regards dispensaries should not ever take place. Get rid of anyone in city or county government who opposes medical cannabis dispensaries. Bars, strip clubs, and gun shops do far more harm to our community than a plant and the people who retail it and buy it.
I guess his check from the Mexican drug cartels just cleared.
There is a simple way to control the number of Collectives in LA it is called free enterprise. If they don't need that many than they will go away. I say all the tax money from the collectives should only og to education, lower the cost of school tuition and we will have a better place to live. If these people don't want them they should not get any of the moeny in taxes.
How many McDonalds are there and what are we doing about morbid obesity?
Yes, they shouldn't have let the dispensaries get out of control in the first place, but cities have a right to regulate businesses and these businesses are supposed to be operating according to guidelines set by the state. It is very easy to abuse this proposition which concerns a substance without FDA approval which doctors can't write prescriptions for (only recommendations) and for which one needs no follow up. In sum, it is de facto legalization for recreational purposes. By controlling the # of dispensaries, the amount of marijuana that is getting to underage children could be curtailed and crime problems minimized. Those calling for legalization always say regulate--well, this is what regulation looks like. If you want complete legalization, vote for it. Right now the dispensaries in LA are clearly out of control beyond medical marijuana and responsible politicians like the mayor are trying to do something about it.
ALL OF THESE CLINICS ARE RUN BY ORGANIZED CRIME CARTELS!
Here is the next leg for the uninformed;
Drug Agents Raid SF Medical Marijuana Clinic
Mar 26, 2009 12:35 am US/Pacific
As agents carried large plastic containers of marijuana plants out of Emmalyn's California Cannabis Clinic at 1597 Howard Street, a small crowd of protesters formed a gauntlet outside the door, booing the agents and chanting, "our medicine is marijuana … listen to Obama!"
DEA spokeswoman Casey McEnry told CBS 5 the documents regarding the raid are sealed, so the DEA was not able to give any details.
"Based on our investigation we believe there are not only violations of federal law, but state law as well," said DEA Special Agent in Charge Anthony D. Williams in a written statement.
I will tell you why they raid them, because they are ALL criminal organizations dealing drugs and buying illegally grown marijuana from secret co-ops in N. California. The same people growing the pot sell LSD + He
Johnny law close your jaw! ha ha ha ha!!!! get it johnny girl?
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