City Council Votes To Repeal Ban On Medical Marijuana Dispensaries
LOS ANGELES (CBS) — The Los Angeles City Council voted Tuesday to repeal the ban on storefront medical marijuana dispensaries.
In July, the City Council approved an ordinance that banned all storefront medical marijuana dispensaries but allowed patients and licensed caregivers to grow their own.
There are an estimated 1,000 dispensaries in the city.
Implementation of the ordinance was halted when the Committee to Protect Patients and Neighborhoods -- a coalition of medical marijuana advocates -- gathered more than 49,000 signatures challenging the law.
The City Council voted to repeal the ordinance, as favored by the petitioners.
State legislatures vowed to clarify the law on how cities can regulate the dispensaries.
City Councilman and chair of the Public Safety Committee Mitch Englander told KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO the widespread confusion over the myriad of ordinances regulating dispensaries must also be addressed.
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"It's ridiculous...I think a lot of people want to say the city failed, and I agree, the city did fail," said Englander. "That's why we've tried to retract a lot of it and unwind it and it's become very complicated and litigious."
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