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County To Study Locations For Medicinal Marijuana Dispensaries

County Temporarily Bans Facilities In Unincorporated Areas

5-31-2005 | NBC

LOS ANGELES -- Medicinal marijuana dispensaries were temporarily banned Tuesday in unincorporated areas, as county supervisors directed staff to study potential regulations and where such facilities should be located.

"The reason I have brought forward this ordinance is because the proposed dispensary locations are too close to homes and schools," said Supervisor Don Knabe.

"I am pleased that there are many advocates who agree that dispensaries should be regulated, and I call on them today to work with the county to ensure that these dispensaries are not located near residential areas and schools," he said.

The 45-day ban, approved 5-0 without comment from the board, does not affect dispensaries within municipal boundaries.

Several advocates were in attendance at Monday's board meeting. Don Duncan, co-operator of dispensaries in Berkeley and West Hollywood, offered his support to a group -- California Medical Caregivers Association -- seeking to open a dispensary in Hacienda Heights, an unincorporated area in eastern Los Angeles County within Knabe's district.

David Nam, a CMCA director, said patients must have a doctor's permission. Typical dispensary users suffer from serious diseases such as AIDS, cancer, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis and other chronic afflictions.

"We are committed to providing safe and reliable access to medication and protecting the welfare of our patients and the community as a whole," he said.

Physician permission must be verified for a user to qualify, and dispensary operations would be invisible to passersby, Nam said. No one is allowed to smoke or grow marijuana on the sites.

The dispensaries came into being after voters approved Proposition 215 in 1996. Former Attorney General John Ashcroft launched a legal effort against the dispensaries several years ago, arguing that federal drug laws trump statewide initiatives such as Prop. 215.

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