LA ordinance needs more work
November 4th, 2009 | by Don Duncan |
Ed Reyes
The Los Angeles City Council will not be voting this week on a medical cannabis ordinance approved by the Planning and Land Use Management (PLUM) Committee. The LA Times reports that City Councilmember Ed Reyes wants more time to resolve the complicated issues surrounding the ordinance, and staff at City Hall tell me that more committee hearings may proceed a vote by the full City Council. It is possible that a joint committee meeting between the PLUM and Public Safety Committees will address the necessary changes.
At this point, delay may be beneficial for patients. The City Attorney’s latest draft version has some big flaws – including lack of protection for patient privacy, a ban on edible preparations, and unreasonable restrictions on where collectives can be located. Americans for Safe Access (ASA) recommends substantial changes to the draft. It will be easier to make improvements like these at the committee level than it will be before fourteen or fifteen City Councilmembers.
City Councilmembers are right not to be bullied into adopting a bad ordinance. This issue is too complicated and important to rush.
Tags: city attorney, ed reyes, la times, medical cannabis, PLUM committee, Public safety committee, regulations
By Sharzad on Nov 13, 2009
If this does not go through, then people would do it ilegally and many young people in related gangs will traffic mariguana like in the old days, causing gangs to increase violence. If it goes through, and dispenseries are aloud to do business legally, and gangs will not have the opportunity to traffic this medical plants illegally. This is what it’s truly for.It’s medical purpose and benefits are for those patients truly in need of it like patients with aids, depression , cancer etc…