Council Approves Ordinance to Require Buffer Zone Around Schools for Medical Marijuana Collectives

The City Council agreed with my request that we require that medical marijuana collectives not be allowed closer than 1,000 feet from all elementary and middle schools in Long Beach and 1,500 feet from high schools.

This is a big change from what the council voted on last month -- which allowed the collectives as close as 500 feet from elementary and middle schools and 1,500 from high schools.

I contacted the Long Beach Unified School District and asked that it indicate to the City Council their support of the 1,000 foot buffer. This buffer conforms with federal and state laws that require schools to have a drug free zone of 1,000 feet. While some may argue that medical marijuana is allowed for use, the federal law still considers marijuana a controlled substance which is illegal to sell.

Another important part of the ordinance is the requirement that all marijuana cultivated for medical use must be grown in the city in order to comply with federal and state law prohibiting the transporting of marijuana other than for a reasonable distance. There will be requirements regarding where marijuana can be grown.

The ordinance acknowledges the state law allowing cultivation and use of marijuana for medical purposes while giving our law enforcement the tools they need to properly enforce the law.

Because the collectives currently in Long Beach have not been legally operating, this ordinance will allow collectives to apply for a business license and in turn be reviewed by the police in order to determine that the collective is following the law.

NOTE: See the Attorney General's Guidelines on Medical Marijuana on this blog. Our ordinance follows these guidelines.