Action angers pot dispensaries

June 30, 2009

Sending a clear signal that it wants to close hundreds of medical marijuana
dispensaries, a City Council committee Monday recommended denying requests
from 28 dispensaries for exemptions from a moratorium.

The hearing left dispensary owners and their lawyers furious. They
complained that notices arrived over the weekend or not at all, speakers had
just minutes to make their case and council members spent no time weighing
the testimony.

"I thought the hearings were a farce and a sham," said Graham Berry, an
attorney who spoke for 10 dispensaries.

Councilmen Ed Reyes, the chairman of the Planning Committee, and Jose Huizar
sought to defuse several tense moments by explaining the process. They
pointed out it was a hearing, not a debate, noted that state law requires
only 72 hours' notice to put items on an agenda and said they had carefully
reviewed the hardship exemption applications.

"What you see here today is the conclusion of a long process," said Reyes,
who had to repeatedly ask speakers to stay within their allotted time. "The
assertion that this is a sham is false."

-- John Hoeffel LOS ANGELES

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-briefs30-2009jun30,0,6045334.story