Xchoboomer

The Los Angeles City Council passed a mandate 4 months ago to shut down over 400 dispensaries throughout the city that did not register with the city prior to 2007. Today that mandate goes into effect. The dispensaries ordered to shut down are concentrated in the Hollywood, San Fernando Valley, and Venice/Santa Monica areas but are sprawled throughout the city. This map of the dispensaries ordered to shut down is rather eye opening. Not on that map is still another 100+ dispensaries located throughout the city that will remain open.

Most dispensaries are expected to comply with the order and will be shutting there doors for good at midnight. There are some that are expected to fight the mandate based on the premise that it violates consumer rights. However, the City of Los Angeles says it is prepared to enforce the mandate so it will be interesting to watch how this enfolds over the next week.

This mandate is just another example of the failures of the Los Angeles City Council.  The council had the opportunity and the responsibility to construct a system that would benefit the many patients and citizens of Los Angeles and serve as a shining example for the rest of the state as well as the nation to legitimize what the voters asked for. Instead they chose to keep pushing the issue to the back burner and left loopholes in their policy that  allowed all these dispensaries to grow like weeds (pun intended). And who can blame these businessmen of these dispensaries. There was an opportunity due to the failures of the city council and they took advantage. Now they are the victims not to mention the citizens of Los Angeles who will have to deal with the crowd of the remaining dispensaries, although I’m sure the owners of the remaining dispensaries will reap the rewards. The city council has done  a disservice to its citizens and to the nation as we struggle to overturn madness. We’ve come so far since Prop 215 was passed in 1996 with a 55% majority. It was only a dream to many that we would legally be able to walk into a dispensary and purchase marijuana. So considering there are still over 100 dispensaries left in operation within city limits should still be considered a victory. I know it doesn’t feel that way. Let’s only hope that this new mandate which will keep dispensaries out of residential neighborhoods works only to legitimize the cause further.