Roughly 70 medical cannabis dispensaries in Los Angeles County could be shuttered this week if local officials decide to target them for raids.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is weighing a proposal to crack down on the dispensaries – which remain illegal under local laws – even though California is preparing to implement statewide regulations and oversight on the MMJ and recreational cannabis industries.
Medical marijuana dispensaries have been banned in unincorporated areas of the county since 2011, but local officials had previously more or less left them alone, according to LA Weekly.
During tomorrow’s meeting, county officials are expected to vote on a $25 million plan, proposed by the sheriff’s department, that would target the operations. The action could help the board create a fresh start toward a fully legal market.
But marijuana advocates want county officials to provide a path to legalization instead of cracking down on those businesses.
“We’re concerned for the county to take a position that’s enforcement-driven instead of providing a pathway toward licensing and regulation,” Attorney Ariel Clark, chair of the Los Angeles Cannabis Task Force, told L.A. Weekly.