This week, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors might make a move that would close down about 70 marijuana dispensaries located in unincorporated parts of the county. If they take that action, it could signal either of two things: That the board is simply preparing for a new state-wide licensing and regulation system for all dispensaries, or it's signaling a big shift toward cracking down on pot shops.
Dispensaries, which cities within the county have autonomy to regulate themselves, have been banned in the unincorporated parts of the county since 2011. However, as L.A. Weekly reports, it seems that the ban has not been aggressively enforced before now. The ban was extended by the Board of Supervisors in February of 2017 and, after that extension passed, Supervisor Hilda Solis requested the Sherriff’s Department prepare the report on shutting down the illicit dispensaries, which will now be under consideration on Wednesday.
Under the new regulatory framework set up by Proposition 64, all California dispensaries will need to be licensed by next year. By shutting down the shops that aren’t operating with licenses now, they may just be making moves to clean house and make sure that everyone selling marijuana in the county is doing so according to the rules, including collecting tax revenue that could go into county coffers.
That explanation would be consistent with a statement made by a spokesperson for Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, who told L.A. Weekly, “We support moving from a ban to permitting and regulating the use.”
Nonetheless, some in the cannabis community are concerned there might be a different explanation, one that suggests marijuana sales are becoming more restricted across the county, rather than more open. It remains to be seen at Wednesday's meeting.
Want more? Sign up here to stay in the know.