LA Tries to Ban Marijuana Dispensaries

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The LA County DA and the city of Los Angeles attorney are trying to shut down all dispensaries that are run for profit in the LA area. They claim a Supreme Court decision last year makes for-profit-dispensaries illegal.

So unless the operation is a collective where members contribute labor or money communally without making a profit, it cannot operate. Of course there are now hundreds of dispensaries in the LA area that would be affected by any action they might take. So far they haven't.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-medical-marijuana1-2009oct01,0,6919416.story

[Danknuggler]

All I can say is good luck LA.It will turn into a war in that county.

[FrankRizzo]

Well if they all band together they should have the money to put up a pretty good fight.

[Riley Freeman]

Awesome The faster they shut them down and clamp down ~ Peeps in cali can get back to 5-6 g Pz of da dankest

[pounds]

lol we get 6500 to 7gs in detroit! for cali outdoors

[ourcee]

back to higher prices? lol black market=cheaper bud


you guys realize that "for profit" dispensaries have been illegal from the get go right?

structuring your business properly a "not for profit" can still rake in billions a year.

[silent_lemon]

back to higher prices? lol black market=cheaper bud


you guys realize that "for profit" dispensaries have been illegal from the get go right?

structuring your business properly a "not for profit" can still rake in billions a year.

yeah, i thought they were all non profit...even in most of the MJ documentaries ive seen on this state such things.

[ourcee]

red cross is a "non profit" its CEO also makes about $650,000 a year. show me ONE co op that is claiming 'not for profit' and a salary that is ANYWHERE NEAR red cross'.

they claim they are "for profit" merely because there is money changing hands.

[hbstoner]

I have to say that is it kinda hard for any of these clubs to claim non profit when they are trying to sell people 1/8ths for 75 dollars at some clubs. There is no way they are paying anywhere close to $9,000/lb and if they are they should be shut down for being stupid for paying that much. Ive been to many clubs around the LA/Long beach area and most of them are clearly out to make a buck while they can. These type of clubs should be shut down IMHO. The problem I see is that how is the city going to decide who is for profit and who is not.. any club selling 1/8ths for even 40 dollars each is going to be making a nice profit. It seems to me that the city is just trying to close all of them down and using the not for profit claim as a reason to.

[ourcee]

I have to say that is it kinda hard for any of these clubs to claim non profit when they are trying to sell people 1/8ths for 75 dollars at some clubs. There is no way they are paying anywhere close to $9,000/lb and if they are they should be shut down for being stupid for paying that much. Ive been to many clubs around the LA/Long beach area and most of them are clearly out to make a buck while they can. These type of clubs should be shut down IMHO. The problem I see is that how is the city going to decide who is for profit and who is not.. any club selling 1/8ths for even 40 dollars each is going to be making a nice profit. It seems to me that the city is just trying to close all of them down and using the not for profit claim as a reason to.

ok but how much is rent on the place they operate?

the bills on said place?

the staff?

the capital required to start this up?

the lawyer you have on retainer because of neo nazi type raids?

the overhead required to continuously have available to hundreds of patients many different strains and plenty to go around?

yes there are more unscrupulous dispensaries out there that ARE turning a profit. However where is the line drawn on "profit" versus "self sacrifice"?

dispensaries arent about to start charging $10 an eighth. not with the current legal status of cannabis. You change the legal status and risk associated with all of this, then the "self sacrifice" turns instead from a "i'm risking my life for a decade simply because of the number of plants I have" into a "I'm a farmer and I produce a crop"

lot less sacrifice needed to be 'just a farmer', thus less sacrifice and risk therefore more availability at a better price and higher quality.

[NorCalFor20]

this is a just a desperate response by the city trying to somewhat counter attack the 1000+ lawsuits they just got hit with, no problem. The city is going to loose sooo much money in these lawsuits its gonna be ridiculous they are going to have to cut their losses and deal with the dispensaries... There are over 1000 here and there not going anywhere.....

[toohighmf]

I think there was about 600 with about 400 ready to jump on board.. in reality only 286 Dispensaries in L.A county are legit and registered with L.A. the rest are pot stores. interesting fact, there are more Dispensaries than Starbucks in L.A county as of recent. The prices have come down tremendously. I was at a shop that was selling $40 4 gram bags of OG.. I can't stand these places, and I don't recommend anyone use them as an outlet for your wares. local law enforcement is watching and as they raid, they steal the security tapes and computers with them. I also like making a living. lately its been harder to supply these places as they widdle your price to shit. its not even worth it right now. Riley freeman has it right.
Yes I believe real med patients should have a right to buy their medicine. I think too many people who get migraines or make up some BS to have a dr's recs, these fly by night pot shops and stupid Dr's smokin out w their patients has set some poor examples that have turned the city against it. I also believe it should be the biggest taxable legal cash crop to turn CA around. 10% tax on several billion dollars is a lot of loot for the city and state. Not to mention Us growers are big consumers that buy shit... that keeps the economy chuggin. If we didnt buy stuff right now, who would? Not to mention... more tax revenue off of those large taxable goods we consume... If they wanted to charge an additional tax to make the state even more money I am down. I like Jack, but we have to give to receive.. If taxing it heavily like cigarettes and regulating clubs and commercial care providers (growers) is what it takes to make the reform, than why are both the city officials we voted for, opposed. Who turns down free money??? What is the real reason? BIG PHARM.. thats the reason.

[opt1c]

all i know from living in la is that we are down to get down when it goes down.... april 29th 1992

[ethereal]

red cross is a "non profit" its CEO also makes about $650,000 a year. show me ONE co op that is claiming 'not for profit' and a salary that is ANYWHERE NEAR red cross'.

they claim they are "for profit" merely because there is money changing hands.
excellent point. i could elaborate but im sober :( been dry in the north east of europa for a while now. try 2 mths. yeah. im out of the loop to say tha least. be well and keep the fight up. nationwide prohibition lift shall soon come.
shake er ez

[Kiffen]

all i know from living in la is that we are down to get down when it goes down.... april 29th 1992

Why is it that LA residents can riot over New Jack City, Boyz N the Hood, Rodney King, and Lakers Championships, but not for a racial injustice that's actually 100% bullshit? Oh now I remember 99% of Los Angeles residents are ignorant self absorbed douche bags. I live in LA and I am fully prepared for:

Earthquakes
Civil Unrest
The return of Michael Jackson in undead form
Fires
Zombies
Paparazzo
Liberals
Full scale city riot
Alien revolt (Illegal)
Taco truck Strike

First aid, water, food, and a few other items is all you need to get down with the get down.

[Bulldog11]

Kiffen - you are funny, "Michael Jackson in undead form" lmao. What you said is true however. I live in Cali also and I am just so disappointed in the bullshit going on. Can anybody name a pharmacy that is "non-profit"? How about a liquor store? NOOOOOO.

Stupid pigs, stop messing with the rights of the people of California. Go back to your pig pens and start arresting people that actually do harm to there community.

[lmv931]

why do they even care? Counties in the Bay Area are not concerned about this so called supreme court ruling. If they tried that in SF people would not stand for that and would boot the DA from their office. there are more important things that a DA should be doing, than messing with a pot clubs. I agree that the un-licensed ones should be shut down, but you open a business for profit. who cares if its from selling pot as long as you pay taxes and are licensed to do so.....

wast of time IMO

[johnnyla]

What State Supreme Court Decision are they basing this on?

[Ribsauce]

all i know from living in la is that we are down to get down when it goes down.... april 29th 1992

you mean april 26th but yea good reference

[dreadvik]

That recent tender was for profit growing, selling and distribution tho... It seemed from the article they are accusing those not growing of fouling foul of the scheme maybe that's why they get away with it in that tender.

Takes the piss though surely even a coop has the right to pay its staff for their time, return any investment they have made(product, cash, time), pay rent and service charges etc.

Are are they not arguing this? IMO if the books say there is money left over in the bank at the end of a financial year and it's not for expansion for the benefit of it's members then I can see a point, personally I'd use any left over cash to help those who can't afford their supply and I'm sure a lot of coops must do this.

[JohnGault]

I read the article twice, and can find no reference to the Supreme Court. Looks like a State issue to me.

JG

[johnnyla]

thanks. yes. the city attorney is saying it is against state law to buy or sell cannabis regardless of medical status.

i guess they are looking to get another lawsuit and this will wind up in the state supreme court. WTF? When will we have an ordinance that works?

[Hammerhead]

It's like that in Oregon it is ilegal to sell or buy cannabis. You can give,trade or grow.

[johnnyla]

seems like an unconstitutional and undue hardship.

it should be illegal to buy or sell Prozac, Xanax, etc.

Tomatoes, Beef, fruit, etc.

what fucking planet do they live on? i agree the dispensary prices are insane but at least we have safe access. i've paid those prices and taxes for 3 years now. I'd rather pay high prices then have to use a street dealer and go to the black market.

I also see that even the legit operators of these places are scared and the State Supreme Court upheld the RIGHTS of Medical Cannabis Patients to be SECURE from warrantless searches and fear of prosecution. These local politicians are going to get sued into oblivion. We will have to wait even longer now for regulation until the State Supreme Court finds the City of LA in violation of state law. that's probably going to take another few years. WTF!!!!?

[nephilthim]

lets wall off 20 percent of l.a. and put all the pot smokers in jail.
good luck wasting the cities resources on 600 plus dispensaries,hope you go broke before the 10th or one of your swat buddies is impaired by medicinal mj second hand smoke and accidently discharges his weapon into his big toe.
most of the dispensaries lack what I call compassion but since there is so mcuh cannon fodder in the form of complete
idiots.who am i to stand in the way of progress,it's akin to those who don't get a rec,am I supposed to feel bad for them when and if they get busted?I really don't.
besides each and everyone of you peestains is using subjective terminology to describe a commodity.no one is holding a gun to your head and forcing you to buy overpriced crap,or substandard 50 cap crap as I see it.
two words for your dispensary experience CAVEAT EMPTOR:buyer beware.
other than that grow your own and share the love or the
greed.
weedtracker.********* is a good start for you novices out there.

[Moldy Dreads]

Alot of good points raised here...why non profit only? Many "non-profits" still get raided, I guarantee you, what is their definition?

Safe access vs black market, lawyers on retainer and other costs, raids, it all makes alot of sense why revenue is needed to cover those expenses. It seems like DAs are looking to grab headlines on a controversial issues to get a name for themselves.. I'd like to hear the cons of the dispensaries in their eyes? WHy are they so bad again? Every one I've been to seems to give receipts and has tax ID numbers and a much bigger variety of quality and price than street dealers.....

[johnnyla]

it's all a money making scam. the lawyers and insurance, exorbitant rents, security.

let's subject some other group to this kind of behavior and see how we feel as a society.

[nephilthim]

but aint that life johhny either your fucking or your getting fucked or your on a fencepost proverbially speaking.
if you feel a dispensary,non-profit licks balls don't go back.most of the valley clubs are fairly priced on a comparison basis to long beach orange county.these are all subjective terms if you have money price doesn't really matter,if you don't it does.someone like bluedot apparently wants his nuts shaved and teabagged while he makes his purchase so satisfaction for some is another subjective term like happiness which will remain unfullfilled.
grow your own start a non-profit collective,as much as we would like every
disp owner to prostrate themselves for us for a better deal,i think it's folly to think that everyone is entitled to what they want.

[johnnyla]

nephilthim: true dat. yeah i don't want/need my nuts shaved and teabagged like bluedot. lol.

i'm all for a free market and personal responsibility so i'm not complaining. the dispensary owners live in fear so that justifies their salaries in my opinion.

i think the LA DA's office is crazy to think that there can be no money exchange for cannabis medicine. do they believe that pharmaceutical companies should not be allowed to make a profit of off cancer drugs? if so, there would be no incentive to develop new medicine.

What about the 7/11 operators who profit off of Tooth Decay, Diabetes, Heart Disease, ADD by selling and making profit off of candies and chocolates that are filled with poisons? why can they make a profit?

What a fucking mess LA has got itself into. May blue dot can offer a new model. One that doesn't require a happy ending or teabagging over the counter.

[Space Toker]

who/wtf is blue dot? Anyway, I think there is a happy medium between greed and need. I think someone who grows for med people should be able to make a living off it but not get rich off it, and the same should be true for the dispensaries. Hell I would like to see cancer meds, food, and other necessities of life free, but I know it is not going to happen in a country where one of the fundamental founding principles is greed. I think basic food, housing, education, and quality med care should be available to all and would be happy to pay more taxes for that. If you want more or want luxuries, that you should have to pay for. I don't think anyone deserves to starve, freeze, or not be able to afford school due to the mistakes of their parents. I think someone who screws up should be given a second chance. But unless more people believe these things and are willing to act on them or fight for them, it will not happen. everyone is so damn complacent and apathetic that it will be business as usual until some foreign power gets powerful enough to kick our ass or kick us in the proverbial nuts or whatever. basically make a mockery out of us and show us as the hypocrits we are. Trumpeting freedom and then having the highest jail population and some of the most oppressive laws in the world. I could go on and on. but I won't. I think there should be some self-sacrifice when it comes to helping people in need, it should not be a money-making venture bent on maximizing profit. But patients can't expect it to be given away either. Some happy medium can be found.

[toohighmf]

What does it matter if a grower makes 1 dollar or 1 billion. we serve a pourpose. I wouldnt be dogging the grower as much as I would the dispensaries. the whole grey area of this medicinal cannabis game is over. It was the grey market that kept both growers and dispensaries happy. Then Dispensaries popped up everywhere, and the price war began.. now I see $40 4g bags of poorly grown kush everywhere. OH.. and if it aint kush, chem, deisel, Jack or SS haze its not getting picked up.. when I walk into a dispensary and theirs some dready in a friggin labcoat who sounds like Jeff spiccoli trying to explain to me the medicinal values and lights up a doob, and coughs phlegm in my face.. its not very professional. I see a lot of gang bangers who must be suffering from PTSD or "chronic" pain from gun shot wounds. How do you take these places seriously? why should L.A take it seriously. NOBODY has shown us a business or non profit org. model that is actually non profit and legitimate. Don't get me wrong. I like pot shops! I like dispensaries, but I don't like how their ran at all. the few bad apples approx (250) are ruining it for the rest of the collectives and are killing the market at the same time just by trying to compete and cut their nose despite MY face... This industry is by far the most disorganized group of people attempting to run a business with no business sense but the fact that Pot sells for good money. it's friggin sad if you ask me. No wonder Pot has been illegal for so long...

[Technique]

You guys pay 5-6gz for a p over there?? holy shit!

[toohighmf]

I used to get $6400 all day 3 years ago in L.A. not anymore.....

[dragonaut]

What does it matter if a grower makes 1 dollar or 1 billion. we serve a pourpose. I wouldnt be dogging the grower as much as I would the dispensaries. the whole grey area of this medicinal cannabis game is over. It was the grey market that kept both growers and dispensaries happy. Then Dispensaries popped up everywhere, and the price war began.. now I see $40 4g bags of poorly grown kush everywhere. OH.. and if it aint kush, chem, deisel, Jack or SS haze its not getting picked up.. when I walk into a dispensary and theirs some dready in a friggin labcoat who sounds like Jeff spiccoli trying to explain to me the medicinal values and lights up a doob, and coughs phlegm in my face.. its not very professional. I see a lot of gang bangers who must be suffering from PTSD or "chronic" pain from gun shot wounds. How do you take these places seriously? why should L.A take it seriously. NOBODY has shown us a business or non profit org. model that is actually non profit and legitimate. Don't get me wrong. I like pot shops! I like dispensaries, but I don't like how their ran at all. the few bad apples approx (250) are ruining it for the rest of the collectives and are killing the market at the same time just by trying to compete and cut their nose despite MY face... This industry is by far the most disorganized group of people attempting to run a business with no business sense but the fact that Pot sells for good money. it's friggin sad if you ask me. No wonder Pot has been illegal for so long...
Yeah-I've been more than turned off by some of the people running some of the shops I've been to. Now I only go to two-one that I drive to and one for when I'm feeling lazy. Why? Two reasons-price and atmosphere. There are too many sketchy owners and budtenders selling poorly cured ____ OG for 75/eighth. It's very obvious that there is shady shit going down behind the scenes in some of these places, where as others are obviously on the up and up.

[Mr. Alkaline]

The LA County DA and the city of Los Angeles attorney are trying to shut down..........

I am sorryto cut and quote...but let me say that the goal is to make people into criminals and take your liberties away, either by weed or by your tossing plastic into a waste basket which makes a huge Carbon footprint in the landfill...the gov has nuclear waste from creating 300,000 bombs and could fill a superdome...yet,...the point is that as long as builderberg controls the usa, then california is first to go to shutdown and into camps...and I can't tell you how I'm probably the next to go...

[cashmunny]

I am sorryto cut and quote...but let me say that the goal is to make people into criminals and take your liberties away, either by weed or by your tossing plastic into a waste basket which makes a huge Carbon footprint in the landfill...the gov has nuclear waste from creating 300,000 bombs and could fill a superdome...yet,...the point is that as long as builderberg controls the usa, then california is first to go to shutdown and into camps...and I can't tell you how I'm probably the next to go...

Were you really high when you wrote that? I hope so.

[nephilthim]

free market is just that free to start up either a crappy shop or collective as you say which there are many?to be fair some people pay others to crap on them .so sticking to my principles of objectivity coupled with subjectivity.I have to say this:you the consumer determines who succeeds and fails based on caveat emptor(buyer beware)no one is forcing you to buy anything.to that end if what interpret as a shitty club(ayn rands my bitch)someone else might love or enjoy.
so to that end if we look at the amount of clubs as an outgrowth of free market enterprise then we don't need to regulate them as the publics demand for them will dtermine if they succeed or fail so ultimatly the issue should be moot in all our eyes.
and if the d.a. wants to piss resources away by shutting successful business down go ahead and waste taxpayer resources,and alienate your collective(lol)constituency.
the real pain in the ass is for those that are tree killers or too disabled to grow,so they need to find dispensaries or collectives or better yet start a non-profit collective.
if you do your homework someplaces are compassionate to the extent that they will charge 100-200 a zip for good quality.

[toohighmf]

Ayn Rand.. love it. dont agree with all of it, but at least your thinking... :]

[jessejames12345]

Looks like its happening , scared about what this could turn into for California :(

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/10/cooley-says-pot-dispensaries-will-be-prosecuted.html



article from this afternoon following a 'lunch date' for NARCS in west LA.

[Zeinth]

All L.A. County medical pot dispensaries face prosecution, district attorney says
October 8, 2009 | 2:37 pm
Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley said today that all the medical marijuana dispensaries in the county are operating illegally, and that "they are going to be prosecuted."

There are hundreds of dispensaries throughout the county, including as many as 800 in the city of Los Angeles, according to the city attorney's office. They operate under a 1996 voter initiative that allowed marijuana to be used for medicinal purposes, and a subsequent state law that provided for collective cultivation.

Based on a state Supreme Court decision last year, Cooley and City Attorney Carmen Trutanich have concluded that over-the-counter sales are illegal. Most if not all of the dispensaries in the state operate on that basis.


Cooley said his office had already begun preparing to prosecute a Culver City dispensary called Organica.

Widespread criminal prosecutions could deal a sharp blow to the medical marijuana movement in California, where advocates have argued that access to the drug has helped many cancer patients and others manage pain, nausea and other health issues.

Cooley and Trutanich announced their plans after a training session for narcotics officers at the Montebello Country Club. Outside about 100 medical marijuana advocates protested, saying that not allowing over-the-counter sales threatens the distribution of a product that many sick people have come to rely on.

Barry Kramer, operator of the California Patient Alliance, a dispensary on Melrose Avenue, said, "If this is the way it goes, we'll go underground again. There will be a lot more crime."

now what?? huh...closing any an all coops?? shit.

[stasis]

Shocking Sh*t..... I don;t think the "Authorities" can pull this off... People voted this in. Acting Capriciously doesn;t necessarily mean that the p-gs can trump State Law, just because they (in their small-minded wisdom) think they should...

They are obviously trying to do this (desperate, last-ditch effort, for which Right-Wingers are famous) before it goes on the ballot to legalize....

[toohighmf]

not good...

[jessejames12345]

I live in LA, and just got to watch on the local 11;00 pm news the DA spraying a bud with RAID ! in front of reporters, and then going on with a load of B.S. that this is what sellers in dispensaries are doing to bud ,ect.

( assuming they are going to peg the us e of "unregulated pestacides" as ONE of their justifications for BS warrants )

when the F**K has anyone ever sprayed raid on meds before smoking ..WTF are up with these people ?




this sucks for the ENTIRE MMJ movement in cali :(

[toohighmf]

Id probably rather have raid on my weed than floramite, avid, hexagon, stirrup, or ortho.
it's still some serious BS... Iv'e been pacing around thinking about the #'s of weed I'll have to smoke all by myself.... a serious blow to the med. movement and legalization efforts.
I read the comments below the LA times link and some of these people have VERY valid points as to why they should crack down on some of the unscrupulous behavior some of these collectives practice at work. I just feel really sorry for those dispensaries that were running legit enterprise and serving those truly in need.
it is obvious to me that L.A has other plans for med pot and I bet the county will be making a lot more off it than just tax revenue if you catch my drift...