LA plans to close most marijuana clinics

January 27, 2010|Associated Press

LOS ANGELES - The City Council gave final approval yesterday to a much-anticipated ordinance that will close most marijuana dispensaries and curb the “Green Rush’’ that has swept through much of California in recent years.

The ordinance, which passed 9 to 3, caps the number of dispensaries at 70 and provides guidelines that will push the clinics out of neighborhoods and into industrial areas.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa must approve the ordinance for it to take effect. City officials believe it will be at least 45 days before they can enforce it.

Enforcement could be a major effort for the city. No one is sure how many marijuana clinics there are in Los Angeles - the best estimate is between 800 and 1,000 - and getting owners to comply with the ordinance will probably meet resistance.

“I don’t want to say this is an impossible task, but it’s going to take a lot more effort than maybe the city realizes at this point,’’ said Robert Mikos, a law professor specializing in federalism and crime policy at Vanderbilt University Law School. “Just because the city says, ‘Stop what you are doing,’ doesn’t mean [dispensary owners] are going to give up easily.’’

One possible option for dispensaries is to seek an injunction to stop the city from enforcing its ordinance.

The ordinance calls for spreading the 70 clinics evenly throughout the city with a community districting plan.

City officials would require dispensaries to be at least 1,000 feet from schools, parks, and other gathering sites.