L.A. marijuana dispensary shutdown going smoothly -- so far

Officials with the city attorney's office said they believe there will be "substantial compliance" with the ordinance that went into effect Monday shutting down more than 400 medical marijuana dispensaries that opened in Los Angeles over the last 2 1/2 years.

But despite those expectations, Assistant City Atty. Asha Greenberg said her office wouldn't rule out taking "enforcement action" against possible holdouts.

“I don’t think anyone should assume they can remain open and that the city is not going to take any action anytime soon," Greenberg said. "It's a definite possibility. Anyone who is not living in a cave [knows about the ordinance] because it's been so widely publicized."

City prosecutors have declined to detail specifics of their enforcement strategy, which will include reports from police officers, building inspectors and residents to identify possible violators. City prosecutors have set up an e-mail address for the public to report scofflaws: atty.medicalmarijuana@lacity.org.

Offenders face civil penalties of $2,500 a day and six months in jail. Dispensaries that registered with the city in 2007 will have until June 14 to file intent to comply with new location restrictions.

Signs posted on the doors of the city clerk's office Monday made it known that staff members were prepared for an onslaught of medical marijuana operators filing a notice of intent to register on the first available day.

But things seemed to run smoothly with only a handful of people in line by mid-morning and the entire process taking about 20 minutes. By noon Monday, about 50 people had been through the city clerk's office to submit paperwork of their intent to register.

"I thought it was going to be a little crazy," James Catipay, 33, said as he exited the office with his business partner Peter Tejera. The two operate Herbalcure in Los Angeles and although they have a week to file their paperwork, they wanted to do it as soon as possible.

"It demonstrates responsibility," said Tejera, a 41-year-old real estate consultant. 

Catipay and Tejera opened Herbalcure in 2007, wanting others to benefit from what they had used to relieve their own pain left by illnesses. Tejera found that cannabis relieved the pounding headaches that came after an aneurysm. Catipay, an attorney, used marijuana to address the breathing problems left by sarcoidosis.  

Both believe the city's regulation of marijuana collectives is a wise move.  

"There need to be guidelines," Tejera said. "The city has to get control of what's going on from a safety standpoint."

-- Corina Knoll, reporting from City Hall, and Andrew Blankstein

Photo: Mark Boster / L.A. Times

Map: Interactive map of medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles notified by the city to close/LA Times

Comments

[weloveLA]

re dadi:Too many!

[Barnacle Bob]

I'm a conservative, but I wholeheartedly agree with most of the people here. The cannabis shops I've frequented after I obtained my card have been upstanding and well-run. And I was pleased to see LA add "life" to the County via the cannabis shops -- it was nice to see LA law and law enforcement back off and thereby help the a weak local economy just a little bit. Now, I feel somewhat disappointed with the leadership of my county; if voting and gaining different officials to manage LA County will remedy my disappointment with this situation, then I will vote and also work to bring 10s of thousands of other LA voters with me to the polls.

[Louweegie272]

Does anyone know where the weed they sell is grown and who is growing it? At least the city attorney is trying to get a handle on how many stores there are, liquor and prescription drugs are regulated. Weed should be too.

[June]

Whats sad is I personally know two owners of these pot shops. One runs a really great establishment. Very clean, safe, affordable, friendly and helpfull staff, pays taxes, everything you would want a collective to be. The other is a hole in the wall with tattooed gang member looking employees who are rude and scary, they even keep their pitbull inside. The nice collective is closing and the bad staying all because of a date, not because of thier business pratices.

[Joan]

Please don't say these are medical patients. For the most part they are recreational users. Dispensaries were not part of 215. Collectives for really ill patients was what 215 intended. Marijuana legalizers used 215 as a loophole. If you think this is a bad situation, legalization will be a nightmare of marijuana proliferation, and it will mainly hurt families and children. Where are our priorities?

[LostJob]

Wow! Thanks LA For Doing Something so Blinded So what are the Regulations on where Cigs can be Sold i have a 7/11 Around the corner of my house, And they Say Alcohol is harder to get off than Heroin but people go for Beer Runs all the time you think its that Easy in a Dispensary. Cannabis is something that only addicting if you let it, addiction is all in your head, and their is different types of Cannabis that give u different Highs. It isnt all about making people lazy and all that Jazz u Hear About Weed. Drugs Are Man Made, Cannabis is Grown Naturally with no Added Chemicals, and there hasnt been one Reported Death of an Overdose. THANKS LA FOR MAKING MY JOB HUNTING MORE EASIER FOR ME!!!!!