Pubdate: Thu, 12 Sep 2013 Source: Los Angeles Times (CA) Copyright: 2013 Los Angeles Times Contact: http://www.latimes.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/248 Author: Christine Mai-Duc LONG BEACH TO DRAFT NEW POT LAW Long Beach city leaders have agreed to draft an ordinance that would allow and regulate medical marijuana collectives within the city, opening another chapter in the years-long saga over whether the city has the authority to control dispensaries. In a unanimous vote, Long Beach City Council members directed the city attorney Tuesday to draft an ordinance that would once again allow a limited number of marijuana shops to operate within city limits. The council debate came a day after a federal judge dealt a blow to a group seeking to overturn the city's medical marijuana ban through the ballot box. U.S. District Judge Audrey Collins ruled Monday that Long Beach officials were not required to place a medical marijuana initiative on the city's April ballot, even though the initiative had gathered enough signatures to qualify, because the petition's language had not requested consideration for a general election. City Council members had initially been expected to vote on a proposal to draft a medical marijuana initiative to be placed on the city's April ballot. Instead, council members agreed to bypass an election and move forward with drafting a new zoning ordinance to regulate collectives, including caps on the number of dispensaries citywide and in each council districts, and restrictions that would confine them to areas zoned for industrial uses. "Our city needs the same authority as other cities and states to regulate this substance in plain, public view," said Councilwoman Suja Lowenthal, one of the proposal's three sponsors. City Atty. Charles Parkin said his office would proceed with caution, considering Long Beach's complicated legal battles in trying to regulate marijuana dispensaries in the past. The city's initial ordinance, introduced by Lowenthal and passed in 2009, created a lottery system for permits, and limited the number and location of storefront dispensaries. Thirty-two dispensaries were selected in that lottery, but the process was halted when it was challenged in court. A state appeals court ultimately threw out the ordinance, saying the city's regulations conflicted with federal law. In response, the City Council opted to use zoning regulations to ban all collectives of three people or more. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom