[Sativa]

According to KNBC News, the city is banning new clinics and existing pharmacies have a deadline to meet several legal requirements.

A city ordinance will temporarily prohibit new medical marijuana dispensaries from opening in the city of Los Angeles.

Existing dispensaries will have 60 days from that date to obtain a city Tax Registration Certificate, a state Board of Equalization seller's permit, a property lease, business insurance, proof of dispensary membership and, if necessary, a county health permit.

The ordinance is expected to be in place for at least one year while the Police, Planning and other city departments draft a permanent ordinance regulating dispensaries, including hours of operation, proximity to schools, on- site consumption and security.

California voters approved Proposition 215 in 1996, which legalized the use of medical cannabis by patients referred by doctors.

There are an estimated 200 to 400 dispensaries in LA, according to Councilman Dennis Zine, who authored the interim ordinance.

"I am elated that the mayor is on board with our goal to bring safe access through regulation to those medical marijuana patients who truly need it, and to rid the current facilities of abuse," Zine said Thursday afternoon. "This ordinance places control over these dispensaries within the city, allowing my colleagues and I to create, implement and enforce viable and appropriate regulations."



News Hawk- User http://www.420Magazine.com
Source: KNBC.com
Contact: NBC Channel 4
Copyright: 2007 by KNBC.com and KNBC (NBC4 Los Angeles)
Website: Crackdown Begins On LA Medical Marijuana Dispensaries