Who will Survive the Medical Marijuana Dispensary Crackdown?

January 28, 2010 - The Los Angeles City Clerk amended the Ordinance which is the only law mandating the opening, re-opening and operation of medical marijuana dispensaries in the city. The city addressed the concern of the 1000's of applications they have received for approval of new marijuana dispensaries.

Opposers are worried that the amount of dispensaries creates an "threat to public welfare" environment and allows for "drug dealers and recreational users to hijack California's medical marijuana legislation for their own benefit"

Changes being made in Los Angeles for Marijuana dispensaries:

The amendment to the Ordinance No. 181530 enacts a very important Grandfather Clause. (I personally am not a fan because I remember another time when the Grandfather Clause was used.) Only dispensaries that we registered with the clerk's office on or before 09/14/2007 and has at least one of it's original members from that date, at the same location since then.

Basically, if you own a collective or dispensary and you opened after 9/14/2007, you have to now close.

The city can no longer ask for the Names, Addresses and Telephone numbers of those that are patients of medical marijuana dispensaries.

Basically, patients in need of medical marijuana who fear that their names will be released to the press, their employers or some government list no longer holds any ground. This will not happen with the new ordinance.

So what about the dispensaries that DO meet all the requirements? The City Council devised a lottery that will allow the remaining businesses to apply to remain open.

How many will be chosen?    Only 100

The lottery strategy was based on the advice of the city attorney’s office to decide which dispensaries will be allowed to operate legally and to make it easier for the city’s lawyers and police to shut down hundreds of other dispensaries.

The Los Angeles City Clerk released a list of 228 medical marijuana collectives that applied meeting all the requirements to enter the lottery. Bottom line: In the entire city of Los Angeles, only 100 dispensaries will be allowed, and everyone is fighting for the chance to survive.