After the City Council approved measures to regulate medical marijuana collectives two weeks ago, the matter appeared to be resolved. All that was needed was a final vote to put the council's stamp on it.
But last week, that vote was removed from the council agenda because Mayor Bob Foster wanted to have a representative of the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office address some concerns he had about the legal ramifications of the new regulations.
On Tuesday, the debate is back. The council will hear from the DA and law enforcement officials Tuesday before taking a vote.
Will the council change its medical marijuana law or will it sign off on what the majority had already approved?
Foster's concern is that the council, in a split 5-4 vote, decided not to implement any regulations on where medical marijuana must be grown. Two possibilities had been suggested - that marijuana be grown on-site at the collectives, like Los Angeles requires under its recently approved law, or that the collectives grow their marijuana within the city limits, as recommended by Long Beach police officials.
The effects of either of these regulations, or none at all, is still unclear.
As approved, Long Beach's law still requires testing for pesticides and other contaminants on marijuana. If a sample is found to be contaminated, the original plant must be destroyed.
However, this could be unenforceable when the plants may come from anywhere in the United States or even outside of the country.
Some council members who opposed not having any local cultivation requirements also said they were concerned that this would encourage drug traffickers to move into Long Beach to sell through the collectives.
Collective operators, on the other hand, said most collectives don't have the space or the ability to grow all of the marijuana they need on site. Growing their marijuana at an off-site location in town would still create a security risk, they said.
Operators also have spoken out recently about what appears to be a last-minute attempt to alter the outcome of the ordinance, raising concerns that they won't have the same opportunity to make their case that the District Attorney's Office will have Tuesday.
The council meets at 5 p.m. in City Hall, 333 W. Ocean Blvd. The meeting can be viewed live in Long Beach on Charter Communications Channel 3, Verizon FiOS channel 21, and online at www.longbeach.gov.
Want to go?
What: Long Beach City Council meeting
When: Tuesday, 5 p.m.
Where: City Hall, 333 W. Ocean Blvd.
Information:The meeting can be viewed live in Long Beach on Charter Communications Channel 3, Verizon FiOS channel 21, and online at the city's Web site.
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