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Medical marijuana has been legal in California for 16 years, but a few weeks ago the Los Angeles city council voted to ban marijuana dispensaries from the city, citing that too many existed.
The ban still allowed patients to group together and grow marijuana in their homes, but many patients said they don't have the time or resources to grow medical-grade cannabis.
It took less than two weeks for patients and activists to turn in enough signatures to repeal the ban and force a referendum to let the voters decide. They needed 27,425 signatures and they turned in over 50,000.
The LA Times pointed out that activists admit they're using this tactic to try to get the council to compromise for a more lenient ban that grandfathers in existing dispensaries:
Members of both groups admit that they are using the referendum as a political tactic to force lawmakers to overturn the ban and adopt a more lenient ordinance that would allow the pre-moratorium dispensaries to remain open.According to local laws, the city council's ban which was set to take effect next week must be suspended until the petition is confirmed and then put to the voters in the form of a referendum.
However, the council said they intend to violate procedure and impose the ban anyway. In fact, members of the council contacted the federal Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) seeking assistance in the their effort close the shops.
According to the Huffington Post:
Despite the petition, the City Council is moving forward with its plan to shut down the dispensaries. Last week, council members voted to ask the Drug Enforcement Agency for assistance in the operation.It will be interesting to see if the Obama Administration will intervene in such a local issue and squash the will of the voters during an election season.
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5 comments:
Holy Sh&t they went against the will of the people and blatantly violated the decision-making voter process... WAKE UP CALL!!!!
Ahhh smell the truth. It's smelling an awful lot like a garbage dump in the state capitals.
Full blown DEA hit squads for medical weed?!?! Next thing you know, they'll be hitting us with the U.S. Army...OH, yeah, I forgot; They're busy guarding the opium poppy fields & routes in Afghanistan.
Why aren't the people demanding the council members be removed from office after filing suit for avoiding due process...and blatantly slapping the people who elected them in the face. Since when can the local gov't tell individuals wanting to start and run a business they can't...no matter how many want to open the same business...supply and demand...what ever happened to freedom and capitalism???? Welcome to the USSA
Of course our illustrious President will not help us on this. He is all for going after dispensaries, patients, anyone who chooses cannabis over traditional medicine or prefers smoking marijuana to drinking alcohol - he will send the DEA in full force to help L.A. Here in Oregon there is going to be a bill on the ballot in November to fully legalize it. Wonder what the feds will do to squelch this as it appears to have a good chance of winning. Approving cannabis hurts big pharma and smoking for pleasure hurts the alcohol industry - oh, and never mind that pharmaceuticals and alcohol kill but cannabis does not. Some sort of population control I expect.
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