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L.A. Finally Drafts Medical-Marijuana Rules
November 18, 2009

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News Summary

More than a year and a half after it first began drafting regulations for medical-marijuana clinics, the city of Los Angeles has released proposed rules to control the dispensaries' proliferation.

The Los Angeles Times reported Nov. 14 that the proposed rules retains a ban on marijuana sales and could cap the number of medical-marijuana clinics by council district or other criteria, but would not require dispensaries to reveal their membership lists. Clinics would be allowed to collect enough money from clients to cover the "out-of-pocket costs of their collective cultivation."

The city attorney's office drafted the ordinance, and the city council is expected to take it up soon. "The whole idea is to get some control over the in-your-face way that business has been conducted up until now," said David Berger, an assistant to City Attorney Carmen Trutanich.

Berger said that the city attorney's office can't take action against illegal dispensaries until an ordinance is in place.

Don Duncan of Americans for Safe Access called a ban on locating dispensaries within 1,000 feet of schools, parks, libraries and other sensitive sites "unworkable" and termed the legislation "a square peg for a round hole."

COMMENTS ON THIS ARTICLE:

Posted by Brinna Nanda on 19 Nov 09 07:51 AM EST
A "head in the sand" policy which holds that regulation is tacit approval, has led to the problems inherent today in the California medical marijuana distribution system. Medical cannabis is here to stay. It's time that this truth is fully accepted, and sensible, compassionate regulations are put in place which guarantee safe access to this medicine. The irrational fear that someone may "just want to get high" serves no purpose except to bollux an adult and sensible approach to distribution

Posted by Anonymous on 19 Nov 09 12:09 PM EST
Why not allow pharmacies to distribute marinol (the pill)with those who have a doctor's prescription. This would eliminate personal growing of marijuana which leaves a wide door open for abuse of the drug?

Posted by Brinna Nanda on 21 Nov 09 08:13 PM EST
Because Marinol (the pill) is pure 100% THC, and, unlike the whole plant, does not have the balancing, mellowing anti-psychotic cannabidiol in it, and therefore causes much greater and more unpleasant psychotropic effects. It is also missing the dozens of other beneficial and healing cannabinoids that are available in the whole plant. However, I have no problem with pharmacies carrying whole plant cannabis.

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