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FROM THE MAGAZINE

A Look At L.A.’s Medical Marijuana Dispensary Ordinance

Over 400 LA medical marijuana dispensaries are being shut down – but an important question remains: why?

BY LARRY LECHUGA, THE420TIMES.COM

Last year ended on a seemingly positive note when the Department of Justice announced that they would no longer prosecute either patients or providers of medical marijuana. In October of 2009, Attorney General Eric Holder noted that the prosecution of large-scale drug traffickers would take priority over issues concerning medical cannabis.

“As a general matter, pursuit of these priorities should not focus federal resources in your States on individuals whose actions are in clear and unambiguous compliance with existing state laws providing for the medical use of marijuana,” he wrote in a memo.

Upon hearing this announcement, the medical marijuana community breathed a collective sigh of relief. But little did Los Angeles dispensary owners know that their problems were just about to begin.

By the time you read this article, there will be 439 fewer medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles than there were several weeks ago. This is the result of an ordinance issued by the Los Angeles City Council that aims to tame a seemingly out-of-control situation surrounding dispensaries in the city.

Last month, Los Angeles city prosecutors notified hundreds of dispensaries that they had to close their doors by June 7. Collectives remaining open after the deadline could face fines of $2,500 a day; other violations of the ordinance’s stipulations would be considered misdemeanors and could lead to penalties of up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Only the collectives that registered with the city by November 2007 will be allowed to legally stay open. While 186 collectives fall under this category, it is estimated that only 137 or so remain in business.

The dispensaries allowed to keep their doors open will be significantly affected by the ordinance as well. Along with various regulations on their daily operations, they are required to be located at least 1,000 feet from sites such as schools, parks, libraries, and churches.

In essence, the ordinance attempts to reign in a situation that has supposedly spiraled out of control. “…escalation of violent crime at the location of medical marijuana dispensaries in the City of Los Angeles,” all of which has been accounted for in an “extensive report detailing the negative secondary effects associated with medical marijuana dispensaries,” the document reads.

Indeed, members of the LA City Council believe that dispensaries are a magnet for crime and a threat to the well being of communities.

In an interview with NPR, Councilman Dennis Zine noted that since the rapid expansion of dispensaries in Los Angeles, there has been an increase in robberies on account of the new businesses.

But to what extent is this true? Have there been, in fact, negative repercussions on account of the presence of medical marijuana dispensaries? Exactly what have they been? And can these negative effects be directly attributed to the collectives?

These questions gain importance upon considering the fact that Los Angeles police chief Charlie Beck, after assessing a report of citywide robberies, had to concede that dispensaries are not, in fact, the magnets of crime that critics often complain about.

“I have tried to verify that because that, of course, is the mantra,” Beck told The Daily News. “It doesn’t really bear out.”

Out of control? Doesn’t seem like it.

If not because of the increase in crime, it’s hard to see why the LA City Council deemed such a drastic ordinance necessary.

There have been, undoubtedly, complaints from neighborhood residents about dispensaries. But it is unknown exactly how much complaint there has been—or if there has truly been enough to merit shutting down over 400 businesses.

At the very least, it would have been more prudent if the LA City Council had further looked into this issue before issuing its severe ultimatum. As hundreds of dispensary owners closed up shop earlier this month, you can be sure they wished the same.