Marijuana Blog

Supporters of medical marijuana in Long Beach, CA want to get an initiative on the ballot this fall that would force the city to allow medical marijuana dispensaries. The proposed measure would require City officials to regulate medical marijuana dispensaries to comply with California State law. In addition to limiting the number of dispensaries in Long Beach, and ensuring that they are not located near schools, public beaches and parks, the initiative calls for a tax of up to 4% to be paid into the City’s General Fund.

In July the city banned dispensaries, but recent court decisions have made those actions illegal.

Jeremy Coltharp filed the documents for the initiative on behalf of patient members throughout Long Beach. “It’s important that the City of Long Beach provides the leadership needed to ensure the health and safety of all its citizens, both medical marijuana patients and the community as a whole”, stated Coltharp. “Regulation of medical marijuana distribution will ensure that dispensaries have clear expectations to which they must adhere, and will also ensure that sick patients are not forced to turn to back alley drug dealers.

“We continue to look to our City leaders to find the best way to ensure public safety,” Coltharp continued, “[and] I’m confident that our City Council will find a way to do that without endangering the quality of life of so many people in need.”

Supporters need signatures from 15% of registered voters in Long Beach to get the measure on the ballot.

Most politicians still don’t seem to realize that safe access to medical cannabis requires dispensaries as well as the freedom to grow if that’s what a patient chooses. People aren’t told to go home and grow their own food and make their own pills, so why should they have to grow their own cannabis for medical purposes?

Source: http://www.redorbit.com