Los Angeles - Council members are asked one last question before they vote on a pot ordinance.
They sure have talked a lot about marijuana at City Hall.
Three years of discussion might finally lead to a decision Tuesday when the City Council is expected to vote on a medical marijuana ordinance.
So with all this talk about pot, KPCC Radio asked council members, "Have you tried it?"
"I was 15. It was after school. I was visiting a girl. And ya know, that's what you did then," Councilman Tom LaBonge told KPCC.
Councilmember Herb Wesson didn't say "Yes" or "No."
"Let me say this," Wesson told KPCC. "I know what weed is. I went to college in 1969. And that's my story and I'm sticking to it."
Councilwoman Jan Perry said she has allergies.
Tony Cardenas and Jose Huizer refused to answer.
Council President Eric Garcetti simply said, "I have."
Janice Hahn said her father warned her, "'Don't do anything that you don't want to see on the front page of the L.A. Times tomorrow.' So I grew up afraid that I would embarrass my father," KPCC reported.
As for Tuesday's vote, the council is set to give final approval to the plan at its morning meeting. The ordinance sets a cap of 70 dispensaries in Los Angeles but temporarily allows more than double that number to stay open -- specifically, the 187 dispensaries that registered with the city before Nov. 13, 2007 -- provided they adhere to certain restrictions.
Other requirements:
-If any of the 187 dispensaries closes or goes out of business, it will not be replaced until the overall number is reduced to 70.
-Dispensaries must be at least 1,000 feet away from schools, public parks, public libraries, religious institutions; licensed child care facilities, youth centers, rehab centers, and other dispensaries.
-As for homes, the council agreed to merely bar dispensaries from being "on a lot abutting, across the street or alley from, or having a common corner with a residentially zoned lot or a lot improved with residential use."
-No collective shall operate for profit.
-"Cash and in-kind contributions, reimbursements and reasonable compensation provided by members toward the collective's actual expenses for the growth, cultivation and provision of medical marijuana ... in strict compliance with state law'' are allowed.
-An independent certified public accountant would have to audit the collectives every year and submit the findings to the City Controller. Building and Safety inspectors and police officers would have to examine the location.
-Authorities cannot look into patients' records without a search warrant, subpoena or court order.
-The ordinance requires collectives to be open between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m.
-Security measures include bars on their windows, closed-circuit cameras, burglar alarms, and security guards patrolling a two- block radius around the location.
-Collectives cannot store more than $200 in cash overnight and would have to make twice-daily bank drops.
Since Sept. 14, 2007, Los Angeles has had a temporary ordinance that banned dispensaries other than those which registered with the city before Nov. 13, 2007. The temporary ordinance had a loophole that enabled operators to open about 800 dispensaries across Los Angeles.
News Hawk- Weedpipe 420 Magazine - Cannabis Culture News & Reviews
Source: NBC Los Angeles
Author: JONATHAN LLOYD
Contact: NBC Los Angeles
Copyright: 2010 NBC Universal
Website:Straight Question, Hazy Answers
They sure have talked a lot about marijuana at City Hall.
Three years of discussion might finally lead to a decision Tuesday when the City Council is expected to vote on a medical marijuana ordinance.
So with all this talk about pot, KPCC Radio asked council members, "Have you tried it?"
"I was 15. It was after school. I was visiting a girl. And ya know, that's what you did then," Councilman Tom LaBonge told KPCC.
Councilmember Herb Wesson didn't say "Yes" or "No."
"Let me say this," Wesson told KPCC. "I know what weed is. I went to college in 1969. And that's my story and I'm sticking to it."
Councilwoman Jan Perry said she has allergies.
Tony Cardenas and Jose Huizer refused to answer.
Council President Eric Garcetti simply said, "I have."
Janice Hahn said her father warned her, "'Don't do anything that you don't want to see on the front page of the L.A. Times tomorrow.' So I grew up afraid that I would embarrass my father," KPCC reported.
As for Tuesday's vote, the council is set to give final approval to the plan at its morning meeting. The ordinance sets a cap of 70 dispensaries in Los Angeles but temporarily allows more than double that number to stay open -- specifically, the 187 dispensaries that registered with the city before Nov. 13, 2007 -- provided they adhere to certain restrictions.
Other requirements:
-If any of the 187 dispensaries closes or goes out of business, it will not be replaced until the overall number is reduced to 70.
-Dispensaries must be at least 1,000 feet away from schools, public parks, public libraries, religious institutions; licensed child care facilities, youth centers, rehab centers, and other dispensaries.
-As for homes, the council agreed to merely bar dispensaries from being "on a lot abutting, across the street or alley from, or having a common corner with a residentially zoned lot or a lot improved with residential use."
-No collective shall operate for profit.
-"Cash and in-kind contributions, reimbursements and reasonable compensation provided by members toward the collective's actual expenses for the growth, cultivation and provision of medical marijuana ... in strict compliance with state law'' are allowed.
-An independent certified public accountant would have to audit the collectives every year and submit the findings to the City Controller. Building and Safety inspectors and police officers would have to examine the location.
-Authorities cannot look into patients' records without a search warrant, subpoena or court order.
-The ordinance requires collectives to be open between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m.
-Security measures include bars on their windows, closed-circuit cameras, burglar alarms, and security guards patrolling a two- block radius around the location.
-Collectives cannot store more than $200 in cash overnight and would have to make twice-daily bank drops.
Since Sept. 14, 2007, Los Angeles has had a temporary ordinance that banned dispensaries other than those which registered with the city before Nov. 13, 2007. The temporary ordinance had a loophole that enabled operators to open about 800 dispensaries across Los Angeles.
News Hawk- Weedpipe 420 Magazine - Cannabis Culture News & Reviews
Source: NBC Los Angeles
Author: JONATHAN LLOYD
Contact: NBC Los Angeles
Copyright: 2010 NBC Universal
Website:Straight Question, Hazy Answers
