Pubdate: Wed, 30 Jun 2010
Source: Los Angeles Times (CA)
Page: AA4
Copyright: 2010 Los Angeles Times
Contact: http://mapinc.org/url/bc7El3Yo
Website: http://www.latimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/248
Author: John Hoeffel
Cited: Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors http://bos.co.la.ca.us/
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topic/dispensaries
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?115 (Cannabis - California)

BAN SOUGHT ON POT DISPENSARIES

Worried that unincorporated Los Angeles County could increasingly be 
favored by medical marijuana dispensaries excluded from other areas, 
Supervisor Mike Antonovich on Tuesday proposed a ban on the outlets, 
which would reverse a four-year-old county policy.

Aides to Antonovich noted that many cities in the county have banned 
dispensaries or imposed moratoriums and the city of Los Angeles is 
trying to shut down about 400. The supervisor's office has received 
at least a dozen inquiries from Los Angeles dispensaries looking to 
move to the county.

"Our concern is that dispensaries will look for new locations in our 
unincorporated areas, and that would unduly burden residences and 
business owners in those areas," said Tony Bell, the supervisor's spokesman.

Bell said Antonovich is also concerned about crime, as highlighted by 
last week's killings of two dispensary workers in Los Angeles. "We 
know from recent activities that there is a criminal element that is 
attracted to dispensaries," he said.

The supervisors adopted an ordinance in 2006 that allows medical 
marijuana dispensaries, but prohibits them within 1,000 feet of 
churches, day-care centers, libraries, playgrounds, schools and other 
sensitive uses. Antonovich was the only one of the five supervisors 
to oppose it.

Antonovich also has been frustrated by dispensaries opening in his 
district without seeking the required conditional use permit. Paul 
Novak, the supervisor's planning deputy, said that between eight and 
10 have opened without permission. He said that county officials have 
expended considerable time and effort to close them, including 
seeking court action in three or four cases. He said one of the 
dispensaries had opened two doors from the Charter Oak library on 
East Arrow Highway.

Novak noted that Lancaster and Palmdale in the largely unincorporated 
northern part of the county have banned dispensaries, as have cities 
such as Arcadia, Monrovia and Pasadena, which are near unincorporated 
pockets of the county.

"The supervisor's had a concern about the issue for quite some time," 
Novak said. "We don't want to be the only one in a particular area 
that doesn't have a ban."

The proposal will come before the supervisors on Tuesday. 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake