NEWS: Medical Marijuana Ordinance May be Approved Friday

The Los Angeles City Council is expected to approve the final component of a medical marijuana ordinance on Friday that could enable authorities to start closing hundreds of outlets as early as next month.

The ordinance would establish fees and restrictions that 186 dispensaries would be required to follow to continue operating.

Dispensaries would be required to be at least 1,000 feet away from schools, public parks, public libraries, religious institutions and other so-called "sensitive use" sites. It would also place restrictions dispensaries' proximity to certain residential zones.

The council is expected to approve $1,595 in registration fees for a single manager of an existing dispensary. More could be charged for any additional manager, who would be required to undergo a background check.

By some estimates, as many as 1,000 marijuana outlets are operating in and around Los Angeles. Many of them sprung up during a City Council-imposed moratorium while the lawmaking body dragged its feet on regulations.

If any of the 187 dispensaries now operating with the city's blessing goes out of business, a new one would not be allowed to replace it until the overall number is reduced to 70.

Medical marijuana advocates, who have complained that dispensaries would be effectively zoned out of existence, are expected to challenge the ordinance in court.

Source: NBC Los Angeles