“[T]he [Los Angeles] City Counted voted 14-0 Tuesday [July 24, 2012] to ban pot shops.
Under the ban, each of the 762 dispensaries that have registered with the city will be sent a letter ordering them to shut down immediately. Those that don’t comply may face legal action from the city…
In a seemingly contradictory move, the council also voted to instruct city staff to draw up an ordinance that would allow a group of about 170 dispensaries that registered with the city several years ago to remain open.”
“After Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa signs the ordinance as expected, pot shops will have 30 days to shut down…
As many as 900 dispensaries will be affected by the new ordinance, but it’s unclear what will happen if they disobey the order. Legal questions remain unanswered by the state’s highest court…
The ban allows hospices and home health agencies to provide medical pot. Letters will be sent to the dispensaries advising them of the ban…
Los Angeles passed an ordinance two years ago that was supposed to shutter hundreds of pot dispensaries while capping the number in operation at 70. But legal challenges from collectives and that ordinance’s expiration last month led to another surge of pot shops.
City officials said 762 collectives have registered with the city and as many as 200 more could exist.”