By Kate Linthicum | Los Angeles Times
Three competing measures on the May 21 city ballot have divided L.A.’s lucrative medical cannabis industry, with each side accusing the other of trying only to protect profits, not do what is best for patients.
The measures may appear similar to the uninitiated, but they would greatly benefit different groups of pot businesses. Proposition D is backed by the Los Angeles County Democratic Club and by a labor union that has organized workers at dozens of older dispensaries. The measure was placed on the ballot by the City Council to counter two measures that qualified through the initiative process.
One of those initiatives, Measure F, would place no limit on the number of pot shops but would require them to submit to city audits, test cannabis for toxins and keep a certain distance from schools, parks and other dispensaries. It is being pushed by a coalition of shops that opened after the 2007 moratorium. Like Proposition D, it would increase taxes on pot sales.
A third measure, Initiative Ordinance E, would permit only the older shops but would not raise taxes. It was put on the ballot by a group of older shops and the dispensary employees union, but that coalition has shifted its support to the council-backed Proposition D.
The measure with the most votes will win, but only if it receives more than 50% of the vote. If none of the three receives majority approval, they all fail.
With the election a month away, the competing camps are collecting campaign cash and stepping up attacks.
Also: Arizona Medical Marijuana Act (AMMA) Monthly Report
SCOTUS rules for Jamaican immigrant fighting mandatory deportation after pot guilty plea
If you’d like to discuss medical marijuana, contact Ryan Hurley, director of the Rose Law Group Medical Marijuana Dept., rhurley@roselawgroup.com
