How Many Pot Dispensaries Are Allowed in Your Neighborhood?

A majority of the City Council approved a medical marijuana ordinance today, but it's not a done deal quite yet, requiring one more hearing and vote (scheduled for next Tuesday). The tentative ordinance requires dispensaries be more than 1,000 feet from places with "sensitive uses," like schools, churches, and libraries, and says that dispensaries can't be open between 8 pm and 10 am, can't operate for profit, and must keep records of every patient they provide marijuana to. It also bans on-site consumption of any kind. The Council voted last month to cap the number of dispensaries at 70, with exceptions made for those that registered before the city's 2007 moratorium on new dispensaries. The ordinance requires dispensaries be "proportionally distributed by Community Plan Area," based on percentage share of the city population. The city probably won't be done dealing with marijuana dispensaries anytime soon, though. Councilmember Ed Reyes told the Wall Street Journal that he expects lawsuits "In a big way," and the LAT says "some [dispensaries] are making plans to challenge the city's ordinance in court."
· L.A. City Council gives preliminary approval to pot ordinance requiring 1,000-foot buffer zones [LAT]
· Medical Marijuana Collectives / Ordinance [Office of the City Clerk]