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Un-Greening LA: Part IIA Spatial Look at LA’s Medical Marijuana
Ordinances
Justin OhUP206A – Estrada
Winter 2011
Key QuestionsHow have LA’s medical marijuana ordinances
affected the number/location of dispensaries?
Did the ordinances do what they were meant to do?
Is there a disconnect between the ordinances and community concerns?
Pre-2007LA City establishes rules for where medical
marijuana dispensaries may locate:Light industrial/commercial zone not abutting
any residential zoneNot within 1000 feet of “sensitive uses”
Schools/Day care centers Places of worship Parks, libraries, etc. Other dispensaries
2007 - 20092007: Interim Control Ordinance places
moratorium on new dispensaries (capped at 186), but it is largely ignored:Lack of oversight/enforcement“Hardship exemption” loopholePresident Obama
Wildly varying estimates of dispensariesLAPD: 450KCRW: 1000
LA Dispensaries, circa 2008
2009 - 2010June 2009: LA City Council establishes new
ordinance permitting 186 dispensaries to operateHardship exemption removedIn operation prior to 2007 ICO under same
name, at least one original ownerNew round of registrations/feesStill in compliance with all applicable
regulationsMay 2010: LA City Attorney serves over 400
dispensaries closure notice
Effect of June 2009 Ordinance
2010 - 2011October 2010: New ordinance attempts to
cap number of dispensaries at 70, strictly enforce regulationsCity Clerk finds only 41 dispensaries in
compliance with all regulationsDozens of dispensaries sue City
February 2011: LA Superior Court Judge declares newest ordinance unconstitutional
What Could Have Been
What Could Have Been
Today – Waiting to Win the LotteryMarch 2011: City Council announces new
round of applications for lottery228 applicants selected for 100 slots141 owners served closure notices
Meanwhile, LA voters approve Measure M on March 8Tax of $50 of every $1000 in gross sales on
dispensariesExpected to raise about $10 million a year
How Did We Get Here?Community complaints against dispensaries
have been increasing over the last several years:Crime and blightIllegal sales/useOversaturation in some areasLack of regulations; location violations
How Did We Get Here?Community complaints against dispensaries
have been increasing over the last several years:Crime and blightIllegal sales/useOversaturation in some areasLack of regulations; location violations
Oversaturation20 dispensaries within 3.29 mi2 = 6.08/mi2
Oversaturation27 dispensaries within 16.5 mi2 = 1.64/mi2
Oversaturation19 dispensaries within 8.9 mi2 = 2.13/mi2
Oversaturation21 dispensaries within 7.87 mi2 = 2.67/mi2
Sensitive Uses
Proximity to “Sensitive Uses”Many dispensaries entered into the latest
lottery are in violation of location rules
HHC
Camino Nuevo High School
Soledad Enrichment ActionCharter School (half block south)
ApartmentComplex
Temple
Virg
il
Presence of Children
Concentrations of Violators
Key QuestionsHow have LA’s medical marijuana ordinances
affected the number/location of dispensaries?Reduced number significantly (according to
legal status; compliance still uncertain)Not much change to locations – ordinances
were reactive and many violators remain
Did the ordinances do what they were meant to do?Yes; they were meant to cut down the number
of dispensaries and did so
Responses to Community ConcernsLegal methods are probably most effective
against undesirable dispensaries, given their locations aloneCity of LA vs. OrganicaWinnetka Neighborhood Council vs. Hope
Collective
Responses to Community ConcernsMust push City Council to clarify all
applicable regulations and enforce themRegulatory body? Exemptions? Compliance
monitoring?
Concerns about oversaturation are subjectiveWhat is the comparison? Fast-food joints? Drug
stores? Liquor/Convenience stores?
Skills UsedInset MapGeocodingGeoprocessing (clipping, union)Attribute sub-sets selectionBoundary sub-sets selectionBufferingModelingMetadataMeasurement/Analysis (Euclidian distance)Original data (list of dispensaries)Charts, Graphs, ImagesHotspot Analysis
Metadata
Model
