Voters To Decide How To Regulate Marijuana Dispensaries
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday preliminarily approved a pair of initiatives for the May ballot regulating medical marijuana dispensaries.
The petition-driven initiatives will also compete with a third measure proposed by Councilman Paul Koretz to reduce the number of dispensaries in the city while increasing the business tax on pot sales.
KNX 1070's John Brooks reports voters will be faced with a tough choice when they head to the polls.
Voters to decide how to regulate marijuana dispensaries
The compromise version introduced by Koretz would limit the number of dispensaries operating in the city to 100 - the same number that opened before the Sept. 2007 moratorium to operate - while also bringing in more revenue from taxes on marijuana sales.
Councilman Bill Rosendahl - who admitted last July that he uses medical marijuana as a sleep aide as he battles cancer - says the federal government must shift its current policy toward the drug.
"I think the federal government needs to show real leadership and change the schedule on marijuana," Rosendahl said. "If you wanna make the worst drug, it's alcohol, which creates all that nastiness in people."
Koretz's proposal will need final approval from the council next week.
