Gov. Jerry Brown vetoes bill keeping pot-shops away from homes

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Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday vetoed a bill barring medical marijuana dispensaries from within 600 feet of homes in California, saying it steps on the powers of cities and counties that already have authority to regulate pot shops.

Brown noted he had previously signed AB 1300, which gives cities and counties clearer authority to regulate the location and operation of marijuana dispensaries.

‘This bill goes in the opposite direction by preempting local control and prescribing the precise locations where dispensaries may not be located,’ Brown wrote in his veto message. ‘Decisions of this kind are best made in cities and counties, not the state Capitol.’

Sen. Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana) said he introduced SB 847 at the request of officials in Anaheim, where one dispensary opened on the ground floor of a building that had apartments above.

‘I’m disappointed for the community,’ Correa said. ‘All we were talking about is taking a buffer zone already in the law to keep second-hand pot smoke away from children at schools and extending it to keeping it away from residences.’

Correa disputed the governor’s contention that his bill would preempt city powers, saying he wrote the bill to allow cities to choose their own regulations if they don’t like the 600-foot buffer.

--Patrick McGreevy