This past week, six medical marijuana dispensaries in California filed separate legal challenges to the Los Angeles ordinance that uses a random drawing to select 100 pot stores that would be allowed to continue their operations. At least eight lawsuits are currently seeking to completely toss out the law, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The new lawsuits call the lottery, deciding who will stay and who will go, “a game of chance” and denounce it as “arbitrary, capricious and irrational.” The lawsuit argues that the lottery violates the constitutional rights of the dispensaries.
The Los Angeles medical marijuana lawyers at the Cannabis Law Group remain dedicated to protecting the rights of legally operating medical marijuana growers, distributors and their patients against the overreaching actions of cities throughout the Los Angeles area. No city should be allowed to enact restrictions, ordinances or other hindrances to business operating legally under California law.
The Los Angeles City Clerk’s Office is currently reviewing 231 applications from medical marijuana dispensaries that have applied to be part of the lottery. Officials intent to arbitrarily choose 100 that the city will permit to operate, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The dispensaries are asking that the Los Angeles County Superior Court judge stops the city from holding the lottery as it serves as an unfair technique that will decide the future of many companies.
The dispensaries to recently join the fight are Downtown Natural Caregivers, God’s Gift, Kush Korner V, Medical Kush Beach Club, New Era Caregivers and Safe Life Caregivers.
While city officials have moved ahead with setting up the lottery, they have also appealed a court ruling that invalidated parts of an earlier ordinance that would have allowed them to use a different method to reduce the number of dispensaries in the city, according to KTLA.
The Cannabis Law Group is a law firm dedicated to the rights of medical marijuana patients, collectives and growers, throughout Southern California, including Los Angeles, Riverside, Anaheim, Forest Hills, Orange County and San Bernardino. Call 949-375-4734 for a confidential consultation to discuss your rights.