LA AGREES TO LIMIT MEDICAL-MARIJUANA DISPENSARIES

The Los Angeles City Council agreed Tuesday to limit the number of
medical-marijuana dispensaries in the city to 70, a move that could
dramatically scale back the hundreds that have cropped up here. The
council still must vote on the ordinance to regulate dispensaries,
which is expected to include a host of other restrictions.

When the state passed a law allowing for medical-marijuana
cooperatives in 2004, Los Angeles never set forth guidelines for how
they should operate. That led to the rampant growth of dispensaries:
The number in the city is estimated at 1,000, making medical marijuana
one of the city's fastest-growing industries.

As more dispensaries opened, police, city officials and residents
complained that many were illegal cash businesses that had little to
do with medical care. The city decided to crack down.

"Today we took the first step in regaining the trust of the residents
of Los Angeles by protecting the integrity and safety of our
communities while...offering medical marijuana to those who truly need
it," Councilman Jose Huizar said in an emailed statement Tuesday evening.

The council also mandated a 1,000-foot buffer between medical
dispensaries and residential-use areas. On Tuesday night, the council
was still debating additional measures to regulate and restrict the
locations and concentration of dispensaries. The council still must
hold a final vote on the full ordinance once it has finished making
changes to it.

Despite the cap, more than 70 dispensaries could be allowed to remain
open if they meet the new guidelines. Tuesday night's decision gave
preference to 137 dispensaries that had registered with the city early
on. Those dispensaries would have 180 days to comply with the new
regulations, but many of them are expected to close.

It was unclear Tuesday night when the new regulations would take
effect.

Medical-marijuana advocates said they were against "arbitrary caps" on
the number of dispensaries, but said the new regulations proved that
it is possible to regulate medical marijuana on a large scale.

"This is a huge milestone. It definitely sends a message to the rest
of the county that the second-largest city in the nation has
recognized the need for legal distribution," said Kris Hermes, a
spokesman for Americans for Safe Access, a medical-marijuana advocacy
group.