About Medical Marijuana » economic crisis http://aboutmedicalmarijuana.com Resources and Information for the Medical Marijuana Movement Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:42:11 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 Can LA afford to crack down? http://aboutmedicalmarijuana.com/2010/02/14/can-la-afford-to-crack-down/ http://aboutmedicalmarijuana.com/2010/02/14/can-la-afford-to-crack-down/#comments Mon, 15 Feb 2010 04:40:55 +0000 Don Duncan http://aboutmedicalmarijuana.com/?p=607 How will the City of Los Angeles pay for enforcement of its new medical cannabis ordinance and the anticipated litigation? That may be a hard question for City Councilmembers to answer in the current economic climate. The city must find over $200 million before July, and next year’s budget shortfall could run as high as $484 million. KCET’s So Cal Connected reports on the financial crisis, pointing out that cuts to the City Attorney’s office may make enforcing the medical cannabis ordinance more difficult.

 

 Councilmembers may want to rethink the new ordinance, which will close most of the city’s medical cannabis collectives. California NORML estimates that collectives generate $1 billion in annual sales, and that does not include licensing fees and jobs created. The medical needs of patients are certainly more important than economic policy. However, cash strapped cities like Los Angeles should think twice about policies that cut off revenue and jobs, while generating  costly litigation.

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