While Prop. 19 Loses, Residents Protest Closure of Agoura Hills Marijuana Clinic Residents from the area filled the Agoura Hills City Council chambers last week to protest the closure of the Conejo Wellness Center, a medical marijuana dispensary that was shut down by law enforcement on Oct. 14. North Hollywood attorney Arthur Hodge, who is representing the Conejo Wellness Center in a lawsuit to keep the facility open, said the council ordinance that prohibits medical marijuana facilities in all business zones of the city was "illegal, unconstitutional and unenforceable." [continues 689 words]
Now that the discrepancy between federal and state medical marijuana laws has been resolved, cities throughout California are reexamining their stance on whether to allow local cannabis clubs permission to operate. United States Attorney General Eric Holder announced March 18 that medical marijuana dispensaries permitted under state law would no longer be prosecuted, but according to a recent survey of mayors and other city officials, the cannabis clubs in Camarillo, Moorpark and the Conejo and Simi valleys are still not welcome. [continues 746 words]
Proposition 215, the Compassionate Use Act of 1996 that decriminalizes medical marijuana, might be the law in California, but dispensaries that are used for selling the weed will be against the law in Agoura Hills if city officials have their way. According to California law, cities have the right to prohibit the operation of certain businesses under their general plan and specific ordinances. On July 17, the Agoura Hills Planning Commission recommended that the City Council approve a zoning amendment outlawing the medical marijuana cooperatives. [continues 339 words]
Some Believe Copier Business Was A Front The Conejo Wellness Center, a medical marijuana dispensary in Agoura Hills, has agreed to vacate the Agoura Road office building by Oct. 23. A settlement agreement was reached between the owners of the building and Richard Tavolieri, the alleged owner of the marijuana cooperative. All Brand Copiers and the Conejo Wellness Center are listed at the same address-29399 Agoura Road, Ste. 112. Tavolieri denied all allegations in the complaint, according to Gerard Dougherty, owner of Dougherty & Landon, APC, the Westlake Village law firm that represented the office building owners in the case. But Tavolieri agreed to the terms of the settlement. [continues 261 words]
A decade has passed since Californians voted to legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes. At the time, one of the arguments against legalizing the drug was that the law might open the door to abuse, especially among teens. Indeed, many teenagers in the area have found that the marijuana grown and dispensed by medical groups can be easily obtained, and is perhaps of even higher quality than what can be purchased on the street. California voters passed Proposition 215 in 1996. The law, also known as the Compassionate Use Act of 1996, was intended to give seriously ill Californians the right to possess and use marijuana for a variety of chronic medical conditions. [continues 859 words]
