[ShiningSkull]

No quick action seen on L.A. marijuana dispensaries

Councilman Ed Reyes says several complex
issues need to be resolved before a draft
ordinance goes to the full City Council.

By John Hoeffel

November 4, 2009

This was to be the week that the Los Angeles City Council, spurred by a judge's ruling that its moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries was invalid, was to take action. But it won't be this week. Or even next week. And it probably won't be the week after.

Councilman Ed Reyes, who is overseeing the development of an ordinance on the dispensaries, said Tuesday that he decided it would not be wise to send the draft to the council without trying to resolve several complicated and contentious issues.

He said he expects to take up the ordinance again at the committee level, most likely in the third week of November. Some council members, including Reyes, will be at a national conference next week.

"I want to get it out on the council floor as soon as possible," Reyes said.

The council has been working on a draft ordinance for more than two years. Hundreds of dispensaries, by some estimates as many as 1,000, have opened because the city failed to enforce its ban.

Last month, a Superior Court judge declared that the moratorium had been illegally extended. That led council members to pledge quick action. But the council is still wrestling with how to ensure that marijuana is not sold for profit, whether to require dispensaries to provide names of patients and growers, and how far the stores should be kept from schools and other places where children congregate.


No quick action seen on L.A. marijuana dispensaries -- latimes.com

[Greenbud]

The worm turns in our favor. This is a politician's way of saying that two things have recently occurred: 1) The emails and calls from us have made an impact and 2) Reyes' handlers are telling him that the public is not buying it and attaching himself to Cooley's and Trutanich's ill fated campaign against us will lead to his own political ruin once we really get off our ass and mobilize.

Just my interpretation...

GB

[joe32blow]

I personally suspect the reason for their procrastination is that they
want to talk tough on the one hand to pander to their right-wing constituency, but they are afraid to take any real action due to the
costs involved from police action, lawsuits, reduced tax base, and unemployment from all the collective workers that they will put
out of work.

I predict they will continue to stall for as long as they possibly can.

[mikesong]

The reason they're re-evaluating it is because the original ordinance would be thrown out the minute it hit a judge's desk. It seems they want something that might stand up to actual California law (including A.G. Brown's guidelines), not Cooley/Trutanich's hallucinations. The provisions he stated are some of the most egregious, so that's good - at least some momentum in our favor.

[Smilodon]

Quite frankly, I think you are all right. Reyes has made such a mess of this he now has to handle Cooley and crew who he probably instigated, thousands of pissed off Angelenos because of what they said, and the thousands more that would unload on them if they don't come up with fair regulations. lol, I can't blame him for wanting to delay. No matter what he does he is in for tremendous voter backlash. I wonder if he is re-evaluating turning his back on the MMJ community?

Is there any hope that Reyes will turn back around here?

[BrattonBasher]

Reyes has had enough of Trutanich, and scalded him in the press. Now he is working towards legit regulations. This is working in our favor. The poll results, MMJ in Maine, and legalization in a small resort town in Colorado all favor us. I am going to write Reyes again and thank him for not rushing this and for resisting Trutanich/Cooley.

[VooDoo Chile]

Call me an optimist, but I truly believe our hard work paid off! Sounds to me like they're backtracking because of the backlash, which is totally gnarly news for us!

Three Cheers for Our Dopeness!!!!!!!!!!!!