The astute readers of the MPP blog no doubt recall the Los Angeles City Council’s terrible decision to ban medical marijuana dispensaries back in July. Unfortunately, the council didn’t stop there. They then made the decision to circumvent California law by asking the LAPD to work with the Drug Enforcement Agency to shut down dispensaries that were based in L.A. After the ban was passed – and while the council was busy making fast friends with the DEA – activists were busy gathering the necessary signatures to place a referendum on a ballot to repeal this ban. The activists succeeded, meaning the council had two options: repeal the ban themselves or put the referendum on a special election or the March mayoral ballot allowing the residents of Los Angeles to have the final say.
Today the council – joined once again by Councilmember Bill Rosendahl who returned to council duties after going through chemotherapy – held their vote on whether or not the previously enacted ban would stand. In a move that surprised me, the council preliminarily voted to repeal the ban by an 11 – 2 vote. The council will have to take a second vote on repealing the ban next week. If eight of the 11 “yes” votes hold steady, the ban will be repealed.
The council also took up a proposal to urge state lawmakers in Sacramento to pass sensible regulations that would allow medical marijuana patients to safely and immediately obtain their medicine while preventing diversion and unsavory business practices. This entirely reasonable request of Sacramento passed easily: 13 – 0.
MPP is incredibly grateful for all the good and hard work put in by local activists who gathered the necessary signatures to force the repeal vote. This would never have happened without their commitment to safe access.
The will of the People, the reasoning, the need and the truth of the People are powerful forces, not to be casually messed with by the feeble minded.
City council members all over the United States take heed- you do NOT have the absolute power you think you do. You’re there to serve the people of your city- not your own agendas.
It works when “cooler heads” prevail.
The city has made it clear that it doesn’t need the ban to exert their will. They have already proved that with their calls to the DEA. The next act of the people who gathered the signatures, should be a signature gathering effort to have the council person who initiated the calls to the DEA removed from office. Otherwise this repeal of the ban is just window dressing.
Won’t the referendum stay on the ballot?
Here a a letter i sent to the la city council:
Mr Englander,
I an very disappointed in your handling of the marijuana issue.
It seems you have taken all your own opinions and point of view in dealing with this issue rather than listening to your constituents.
If you cannot help the people in your district live within the laws they have voted into being, perhaps you should look elsewhere for your employment.
With your current attitude toward your constituents rights in regards to medical marijuana I and the other 50,000+ people who signed the petitions would be glad would be glad to help you get De-Elected from your council position.
You need to realize that your job is about US, your constituents, NOT YOU.
The people of the state of California have voted on the issue of marijuana and you seem to not want to listen!
Medical Marijuana is the LAW in California.
Just because you may not agree with it is no excuse for you to do your best to sabotage the legally enacted law, it is in fact, a violation of your oath of office to not do your best to enforce and uphold the law and not just the laws you agree with.
On your web page you express indignation that the voters of Los Angeles were expressing their outrage at your and the rest of the City Council members willingness to ignore the will of the people.
Quit wasting our money on this futile enterprise.
Also do you know how much money in fees and taxes you are so ready to throw away in these tough economic times.
If you want to fix the problem of who get the license to buy medical marijuana go after the doctors who are handing out that right to anyone with the cash to pay their fees.
This is where the law is being broken.
This is where the healthy 18 year olds are getting the right to buy medical marijuana.
It won’t be as easy as going after the pot shops but it will the right and legal way of dealing with the problem.
According to http://www.countyhealthrankings.org there are 1,050 liquor stores in the city of Los Angeles.
I have not seen any reaction from the council on the liquor stores and the many problems alcohol causes, like drunk drivers, alcohol related domestic violence.
Do your homework and you will find that alcohol is a much bigger problem in the community than marijuana.
In closing, please don’t send me information on the evils of drugs or give my name to that Scientology drug group that your predecessor did when I complained to him about this same issue.
I am a 61 year old professional with a college degree and a Viet Nam era Veteran of the US Army
I grew up in the 60′s and have plenty of practical experience with the problems that drugs can cause.
I am also well aware of the misinformation that the government puts out in the “WAR ON DRUGS”
While I appreciate the columnist’s apparent wish to be concilliatory – I don’t agree with the assertion that the Council’s 13-0 request to the Legislature to pass or consider additional regulation is reasonable OR needed.
Let’s not forget that these people are working with the Feds – who regard any MMD which isn’t going bankrupt – as a “for-profit” (and therefore illegal) endeavor. Additional record-keeping could be used to prosecute people for the “crime” of providing lawful medicine to patients – as they already are in some cases.
Amongst the ideas that they are floating – is that MMJ patients should have to comply with the costly, invidious and DISCRIMINATORY requirement that they see a physician 4 times per year.
You can get far more dangerous and problematic drugs over the phone or internet – like Viagra, for instance.
Marijuana kills less people every year than Aspirin or Tylenol. It’s hard to compete with the number 0. And yet no Dr.s visit at all is required to purchase a fatal dose.
If people are diverting medicine – that is already a crime, requiring no additional authorization for LEA to prosecute – and it begs the question, of what kind of “regulation” could prevent it; while maintaining patients’ RIGHT to privacy?
As for unsavory business practices – the market has it’s own means of working out problems of that sort. If patients are being taken advantage of…they have the option of moving down the street to a different MMD – provided that the Council or Legislature doesn’t continue to act, to decrease competition and market forces. If growers or providers are being ripped-off (and it has happened, at times) then they can put the word out amongst themselves, and/or seek redress in State Court.
While I agree wholeheartedly with Mike Ramirez’ letter above – one part of it troubles me.
“If you want to fix the problem of who get the license to buy medical marijuana go after the doctors who are handing out that right to anyone with the cash to pay their fees.
This is where the law is being broken.
This is where the healthy 18 year olds are getting the right to buy medical marijuana.”
In my experience with MMJ Dr.’s and their various practices – going back to 2001 – I’ve never seen anything like what Mike (and various re-prohibitionist voices) are suggesting on this subject.
We should all remember that there are a wide array of serious conditions, for which MMJ might provide relief – and not all of them are readily apparent to the naked eye. How many of those 18 yr olds (and younger) are being prescribed powerful psychotropic medications and/or amphetimines – to combat dubious diagnoses like ADD? Should they not be encouraged to use a natural alternative with less in the way of unhealthy side-effects?
When asked to point to a reason that additional “regulation” would be needed – they point to the anecdotal and unsubstatiated complaints of some of their constituents – whom it appears were NEVER in favor of the LAW as the voters have re-phrased it with Prop 215.
In future, when MMP does a survey – one option I’d like to see asked and reported upon, would be leaving things EXACTLY as they are now – as far as regulations – and simply creating MMD’s as an accepted land-use.
I’ve been batteling the aids drugs for 25 years using a lot of underground experimental remedies. Medical marijuana helps with the diarea and nausea, neuropathy. I very much hope that Virginia will decriminalize pot and let me grow my own. Their laws are so antiquated that possesion is imprisonment mandatory. we need help.