City Council Votes to Regulate Medical Marijuana Collectives

The Council on a 5-4 vote approved the first reading of an ordinance that will strongly regulate when and where a medical marijuana collective can locate in Long Beach. At my urging, the Council agreed to expand the buffer zone between these collectives and schools to 1,000 feet and 1,500 feet for high schools (at the urging of Councilman O'Donnell).

Additionally, at the advice of our City Attorney and our Chief of Police (as well as the District Attorney) the council requires these collectives to actually grow marijuana on site in order to operate. This keeps drugs from being transported in by drug cartels and it follows the Attorney General's guidelines.

Some of my colleagues were upset about the requirement to grow at the collective? Really, folks. Where do you think these places were getting their supplies if they weren't growing it as a collective???? They were getting marijuana from drug dealers.

The voters of California approved law that allows a collective of "patients" needing medical marijuana to grow and distribute medical marijuana for the use of only those members of that collective. By requiring that they do so, Long Beach is following the state law and making certain that the phony "collectives" go out of business. The ordinance also gives our law enforcement the tools they need to make certain the law is followed.