A story was posted today on the website of The Los Angeles Times about two allies that medical marijuana patients supposedly have in the L.A. City Council. Yet the vote last week to ban dispensaries in the city was unanimous, so where are the allies?

One is Paul Koretz, who faces reelection next year, and who receives about 9% of his campaign contributions from medical marijuana dispensaries and advocates. But he voted “yes” on a total dispensary ban in the city, as a “procedural courtesy to his colleagues.” How nice that he is so courteous to his buddies in the council while they are being so dis-courteous to patients in the city. It seems courtesy is more important than principles or constituents.

And if anyone reading this is familiar with procedures in the L.A. City Council, can you tell me exactly how a “no” vote would have thrown off the council’s procedure? Is the council like a jury, and their decisions don’t count unless all agree? If so, that would be even more reason to vote “no.”

The other “ally” is  Bill Rosendahl, who must have not voted on the ban, as their are 15 council members and only 14 voted on the issue.

He admits to being a medical marijuana patient himself and he gets more than 10% of his campaign funds from medical cannabis advocates.

Pot dispensaries, said Rosendahl, are no different than any other group seeking to weigh in at City Hall. “They wanted to do something for me, and it’s been clear for 20 to 30 years where I stand on this issue. I think the war on drugs is destroying this great nation.”

Yet both Rosendahl and Koretz say they share people’s “concerns” over the proliferation of dispensaries, meaning they agree with Barbara Broide, president of the Westwood South of Santa Monica Boulevard Homeowners Assn., who pushed for last week’s ban. She says dispensaries are “out of control.”

But if a business wasn’t making money, it wouldn’t stay in business. So how can there be “too many” of any business? Even Broide admits these are successful businesses. ”These are successful business people, and successful business people learn how to play politics very quickly,” she said. “They’ve got a lot of money, and unfortunately, candidates tend to give access to those who provide political support.”

If a neighborhood can only support one Starbucks and ten dispensaries, doesn’t that mean more people want to buy marijuana than a $5 coffee? Isn’t that the essence of the free market?

So the answer, according the the City Council and Barbara Broide, is to close all these successful businesses and destroy thousands of jobs, based on the “complaints” of a very small amount of people.

But only certain complaints get the ear of the council. Many are complaining about a lack of jobs, but their complaints fall on the deaf ear of evil, petty little men like Councilman Jose Huizar, who just doesn’t feel like doing his cushy, easy job and feels he is much smarter than the free market that built this country. He would rather do as little as possible and keep filling his pockets with your tax money.

- Joe Klare