West Hollywood Succeeds in Controlling Medical Marijuana Outlets

While Los Angeles has struggled mightily to regulate proliferating medical-marijuana dispensaries, neighboring West Hollywood has implemented what could be a model program that has kept the number of outlets manageable, the Los Angeles Times reported Nov. 16.

The city — which is surrounded by greater Los Angeles — successfully imposed a moratorium on new dispensaries in 2005 and capped the number of medical-marijuana outlets at four. Lawmakers in the city also established and enforced rules for operating medical-marijuana programs, including security requirements, limits on hours of operation, and a ban on onsite use of the drug.

The plan has been endorsed by policymakers, citizens, and clinic operators. One of the best-known dispensaries, The Farmacy, belongs to the local Chamber of Commerce.

“We’ve been on top of this from Day 1,” said Lisa Belsanti, an analyst who worked with the city to develop the regulations. “There’s a problem, but it’s in Los Angeles, it’s not in West Hollywood.”

“We’ve kept [clinics] on a short leash,” said West Hollywood City Councilman John Duran. “Today, we have minimal complaints, and they are acting responsibly.”

San Francisco and Oakland also have imposed strict regulations on medical-marijuana dispensaries and have not had the kinds of problems facing Los Angeles.