This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
The people of Los Angeles and L.A. County have elected themselves a hot mess. District Attorney Steve Cooley and City Attorney Carmen Trutanich--both elected by the public--believe most all medical marijuana dispensaries are illegal. That's because their interpretation of state law is that marijuana cannot be just sold to those with licenses, but distributed to members of a nonprofit collective of people who carry licenses.
That's despite L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca (also elected by the people) saying West Hollywood's rules for regulating marijuana dispensaries as a model, one that Los Angeles should follow.
Still, on the heels two L.A. City Council committees (all members are elected by the people) yesterday shooting down Trutanich's proposed marijuana ordinance, Cooley today reiterated his position, saying he will prosecute dispensaries, even if Los Angeles allows them. “What the City Council is doing is beyond meaningless and irrelevant,” he told the LA Times.
