MORATORIUM ON POT IS EXTENDED

Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Won't Be Coming To Glendale Any Time
Soon After Vote.

CITY HALL -- Amid an evolving legal battle surrounding Los Angeles'
moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries, the Glendale City
Council approved the city's moratorium on the shops with little discussion.

The council voted 4 to 0, with Councilman Ara Najarian absent, to
extend the current 45-day moratorium, which was set to expire Nov. 5,
for an additional 10 months and 15 days in order to give city
attorneys more time to study the legal landscape swirling around pot
dispensaries.

Council members made no comments on the issue before voting to
approve the extension. Members of the public were also silent, with
none choosing to speak during the required public hearing. L.A.-based
Holistic Co-Opt owner Randy Llamas, who has made repeated inquiries
into opening a Glendale location and spoke out against the moratorium
last month, was not in attendance.

When the council first approved the moratorium, Councilwoman Laura
Friedman emphasized the council would not yet be wading into debating
the issue of medical marijuana, only the temporary move.

While the Los Angeles moratorium was aimed at controlling a
proliferation of the shops in recent years, Glendale's moratorium was
prompted by an increase in inquiries from potential vendors, city
officials said. Currently, no shops operate within the city.

Medical marijuana dispensaries are prohibited under the city's zoning
codes, but city officials proposed the moratorium in September to
close Glendale's borders to the shops until the council can make a
decision on how to handle what is becoming a complicated legal issue
at the state and federal level.

"A number of items have come across in this area," said Chief
Assistant City Atty. Mike Garcia.

Garcia noted several developments that have taken place since the
council first approve the moratorium last month.

Last week, Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley announced his
intentions to go after dispensaries operating for profit because that
would violate state law.

On Monday, a Superior Court judge granted a preliminary injunction
against a Los Angeles city moratorium on new medical marijuana
dispensaries -- citing the temporary ban, which the City Council
extended after it initially lapsed, was invalid.

By extending the restriction before its expiration date, the Glendale
City Council abided by state laws for enacting moratoriums. During
the extended time, city attorneys will monitor the legal landscape --
including a coming appeals court decision regarding an Anaheim ban
on the shops -- and come back to the council with recommendations
regarding a potential ban or other regulations, Garcia said.

"We'd like to extend the moratorium so that we can continue to watch
and see what regulations might be appropriate," Garcia said.