Los Angeles: Dueling Medical Pot Measures Cause Confusion

[PeteJenkins]

I've read that Los Angeles medical marijuana patients are having issues obtaining their medicine within their area because of the legislation requiring dispensaries to shut down. Is there any truth to this? Does anyone have direct experience with what is happening in the LA area? How are measures being constructed?

 

[TribalSeeds]

Its a fucking joke! They have a lottery to decide who is going to stay open in some situations.
There are streets with several dispensaries open right next to ones that were shut down.
Luckily I dont get meds from the shops!

 

[SeanTheLight]

I am a medical patient in the Los Angeles area (east side) and our ability to source medicine locally was cut off when they shut down all the dispensaries in the area. It's strange because in LA city there are still dispensaries (and even new ones opening it seems), which are at least a 20 minute drive away, but ALL of the dispensaries I had relied on are now closed. The cost of gas has to be factored in now as a result. I am sure there are patients in this area, especially people with low income or disabilities or who are seniors, who have a difficult time acquiring medicine when it is needed without resorting to the highly overpriced delivery services.

You can view a map of dispensaries and delivery services in east Los Angeles by going to weedmaps and typing zip code 90605.

 

[sith44]

Sorry to hear about this guys. Hard to believe Cannabis can be illegal at all anymore.

 

[al-k-mist]

Hey, just my 2 cents
people can still access meds, even from craigslist..
delivery services are poppin'...and buying local, straight from the grower and delivery, cut out a lot of the inflatiuon the dispenseries charge
some cocksuckers in la county had shit for 100 an 1/8, called hundred dollar og....whateve

 

[CKinLA]

I live in the LAX area. A new store just opened up 100 feet from the one i cultivate and caregive fo.r You can always get your meds. Their is new laws tho as cities can close dispensaries within their boundaries. But if the despensary has been open prior to the measure the past in 2007 it will stay -a total of 135 in los angeles( not the current total of stores just priot to 07).

 

[Hammerhead]

yes it true thats why the black market is making a huge comeback. Prices should start going up if this keeps going

 

[CKinLA]

A big vote is coming up. Here is the summary

Voters heading to the polls for Los Angeles’ Tuesday, May 21 ballot, and those who are using vote-by-mail ballots, have a choice between three ballot measures which aim to provide a regulatory framework for medical marijuana dispensaries in the city. They will also have an opportunity to vote on other offices in this General Municipal Election, including mayor, city attorney, and — in some districts — city council members.

Medical Marijuana Initiatives

Medical marijuana dispensaries in the state lack clear statewide guidelines. In Los Angeles, the city council approved a regulatory ordinance that was tied up in court until mid-2012 and that had expired by the time it was upheld. Later, the council tried to ban dispensaries. This Election Day, L.A. voters will have an opportunity to provide long-overdue recognition and regulations for dispensaries. Each of three ballot measures is designed to clarify the law.

Proposed Ordinances E and F are initiatives that were put on the ballot after petitioners collected voters’ signatures. The Los Angeles City Council presented its own version, called Proposition D. All three are fairly similar and overlap in various ways, but the biggest points of difference among the measures are taxes, the total number of dispensaries allowed, and product testing requirements. It is possible that more than one measure will pass, but the measure with the most votes will prevail.

Proposition D

This measure has received the broadest support, which includes such groups as the United Farm and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW), Greater Los Angeles Collective Alliance (GLACA), and Americans for Safe Access (ASA). Proposition D was presented by the city council as a compromise between Ordinance E and F, below, and also receives support from both the mayoral and city attorney candidates in the race. It would significantly roll back the total number of dispensaries to their 2007 numbers, before a moratorium was put in place by the Los Angeles City Council. If adopted, it would:

Limit the number of dispensaries to 135 and only those licensed before the 2007 moratorium, compared with the current number of approximately 1,700 facilities
Increase city taxes on dispensaries to $60 for every $1,000 of gross earnings
Not impose any testing requirements on marijuana sold
Limit hours of operation to between 10:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.
Require that minors who enter must be accompanied by a parent or guardian
Provide exemptions for grow operations for three or fewer caretakers and/or patients
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Ordinance F

This measure is backed by Angelenos for Safe Access Committee, consisting of dispensaries that would be forced to close if regulations rolled back the number to their pre-moratorium number in 2007. Unlike either Proposition D or Ordinance E, this measure does not cap the number of dispensaries and requires mandatory testing for marijuana products. If passed, Ordinance F would:

Allow the market to decide the appropriate number of dispensaries, so long as they meet city standards
Increase city taxes on dispensaries to $60 for every $1,000 of gross earnings
Impose testing requirements for marijuana products sold
Limit hours of operation to between 10:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m.
Prohibit minors from entering the facilities
Exempt all “residential collectives”
**************
Ordinance E

Ordinance E is very similar to Proposition D, and the original group that sought to put Ordinance E on the ballot, the Committee to Support Patients and Neighborhoods, has suspended its campaign for this proposed ordinance in favor of Proposition D. Unlike the other measures, however, Ordinance E does not include an increase in taxes for dispensaries. If passed, Ordinance E would:

Limit the number of dispensaries to 135 and only those licensed before the 2007 moratorium
Not increase city taxes on dispensaries
Not impose any testing requirements on marijuana sold
Limit hours of operation to between 10:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.
Require that minors who enter must be accompanied by a parent or guardian
Exempt groups of five or fewer caregivers and/or patients who cultivate or process marijuana

Get out there and vote for D or E. There is currently over 1,700 dispensaries in Los Angeles - most of them illegal/actual drug dealers!!. IMO this is driving the market down and prices have been dropping more then ever. Eights never used to be under 50 bucks for top shelf in the southbay. And by voting for D or E it will bring the number of stores back to the 135 originals and hopefully up the prices again due to not as many stores competing with each other 100 feet away.