Los Angeles City Hall

The LA Times and LAist have reported that medical marijuana advocates have sued the city of Los Angeles. The lawsuit is an attempt to prevent the L.A. City Council from enforcing its ordinance that would close down hundreds of local dispensaries and otherwise restrict patients’ access to medical marijuana.

Following through on repeated warnings to the City Council, Americans for Safe Access filed the lawsuit on behalf of local dispensaries Venice Beach Care Center and the PureLife Alternative Wellness Center. Plaintiffs claim that the ordinance severely and unconstitutionally restricts access to medical marijuana. Filed in L.A. Superior Court, the suit objects that the city’s ordinance (slated to go into effect March 14) violates state law.

L.A. City Attorney Carmen Trutanich claims that dispensaries can grow medical marijuana and cover costs, but can’t sell the medicine. Dispensaries protest that the regulations included in the ordinance are so restrictive that it would be impossible to comply with the new rules.

This could go on for a while, so stay tuned …