CHATSWORTH PATCH - The Court of Appeals has spoken and municipalities such as the City of Los Angeles have no authority to control medical marijuana dispensaries.
The basis of the ruling was that state law pre-empts municipal law. So how does the LA City Council respond? It decides to waste even more time and money on conducting hearings to determine whether dispensaries should be banned in lieu of a "gentle ban" which would allow users limited growing capabilities within city confines.
It seems the city council has not learned the lessons of prohibition or that they are on a limited budget, and it is likely the California Supreme Court will uphold the ruling of the Court of Appeals based on the pre-emption doctrine.
The hyperbole generated by city council members seems reminiscent of the words used in opposition to 'smut peddlers,' of the 1960's. Porn is now a multi-billion dollar business and garners tax revenues for the City of the Angels, especially from business located in Chatsworth and throughout the valley. (The rest of Leigh Datzker’s column … including his thoughts on the tax revenue LA is missing … here)
-cw
CityWatch
Vol 10 Issue 61
Pub: July 31, 2012
