L.A. COUNCIL PUTS OFF VOTE ON MEDICAL POT TO STUDY CHANGES

Despite Prosecutor's Criticism, Dispensary Sales Likely to Get OK.

The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday postponed a vote on a
medical marijuana ordinance, with members saying they needed time to
study numerous proposed amendments.

But council members, who will return to the measure Tuesday, pressed
for a quick end to a drawn-out deliberation that has unfolded as
hundreds of dispensaries opened.

"I think that we need to act relatively quickly," said council
President Eric Garcetti. "We need some protection in there now to
improve what's out there. We also need to be able to deter bad operators."

The council appeared likely to allow dispensaries to sell marijuana,
dismissing City Atty. Carmen Trutanich's advice and ignoring Los
Angeles County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley's harsh criticism.

The two prosecutors insist that state law allows collectives only to
be reimbursed for the cost of growing marijuana. Cooley said he will
prosecute dispensaries that sell it.

One of the most controversial motions, introduced by Councilman Jose
Huizar, would cap the number of dispensaries at 70, which would be
chosen at random and distributed based on population over the 35
community plan areas.

City planning officials said that under Huizar's proposal, the
Wilshire area would have six dispensaries and Hollywood would have
four, estimates that drew groans and laughter from medical marijuana
advocates in the audience.

Huizar also would deny preferential treatment to the 186 dispensaries
that were approved to operate under the moratorium adopted in 2007.

The proposed ordinance would give those dispensaries six months to
come into compliance, while all others would have to close.

Some, including Councilwoman Janice Hahn, said that would be unfair
to dispensaries that played by the rules.

"I would have a problem really kind of going after them," she said.

A last-minute proposal from Councilman Ed Reyes, who oversaw the
two-year effort to craft the law, would create a system to audit
dispensaries to make sure they operate as nonprofits, as state law requires.

"We want to start creating that wall that essentially begins to push
out all of the elements that create pain and havoc," he said.

Reyes also proposed reducing the required distance between
dispensaries and schools, parks, libraries and other places where
children gather from the current proposal of 1,000 feet to 500 feet.

A city study showed that less than a quarter of the 186 approved
dispensaries would be able to meet the requirement.

In other proposed changes, Huizar would allow operators to run only
one collective, and Councilman Dennis Zine would limit patients and
caregivers to membership in just one collective.

Councilman Paul Koretz, who was a co-author of the state law that
attempted to clarify the 1996 initiative, introduced a series of
amendments that borrow from West Hollywood, which has had an
ordinance for four years.

City officials and Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies said they
have received no complaints about dispensaries for several years.

Koretz would require dispensary managers to meet regularly with
police and city officials, deposit each day's cash and keep no more
than $200 overnight to deter robberies, hire unarmed security guards
to patrol a two-block area, and provide neighbors within 200 feet the
name of a contact to call with complaints.