(Photo via Releaf.co)
The voters of Los Angeles have spoken — and it’s going to get a lot more crowded in dispensaries. With the passage of new measures, a mere 135 dispensaries will now face the task of serving 100,000 patients.
Prop D easily won the “showdown of the medical pot measures” passing with 63 percent of the vote with all precincts reporting. The number of dispensaries will be reduced from the approximately 700 (or more) to 135, those that existed before the City Council’s arbitrary and ineffective “moratorium” in 2007. They will also be required to close their doors a lot earlier.
The LA City Council backed Prop D and it was apparent D had the most momentum and widespread support throughout the city. Prop F, which would have allowed an unlimited number of dispensaries and was backed by medical pot shop operators that went into business after the 2007 moratorium, was soundly defeated with approximately 60 percent voting “No.” (Basically, everyone who voted “Yes” for Prop F voted “No” for Prop D, and vice versa.)
Dispensaries must now close at 8 p.m. sharp; currently, many dispensaries stay open until early hours of the morning. Dispensary taxes will also be raised to $60 for every $1,000 in gross receipts. Also, if one of the original 135 closes doors, a new dispensary cannot open in its place.
Los Angeles Dispensaries Slashed by Prop D
Article by Mark Miller for High Times
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