Although the proper safety and education of children is of utmost priority, the recent legislation regarding the location of medical marijuana dispensaries remains impractical at best. The law creates a 1000 ft. buffer zone around schools, parks, recreation areas and other places children might congregate, forcing dispensaries away. While noble, such a buffer zone covers a huge portion of Los Angeles City. Furthermore, by specifying the buffer zone as any place “children might congregate”, the law is intentionally left vague. This means that the zone is actually larger than shown, with the buffer zones reflected on the map limited to schools, parks, and recreational areas. This zone can easily be manipulated, effectively allowing local politicians to shut down dispensaries at will.
According to an article in the L.A. times, dispensaries are subject to numerous restrictions, including number, hours, onsite consumption, profitability, and required records. As shown in the map, the green, yellow, and pink shaded areas reflect areas the buffer zone covers in the greater part of Los Angeles City. Most of the city is blocked off; more importantly, most of the city’s real estate worth putting a dispensary in is blocked off. Open areas exist in abundance, but primarily contain dense residential areas. Schools and parks are placed in important areas in order to be accessible to a large number of people. So too must dispensaries, especially given the city’s strict moratorium on new stores. To do otherwise negates the benefits of legalized marijuana in the first place, forcing stores closer to homes and opening up illicit drug trade while stopping people from obtaining cannabis for legitimate medical purposes.
Currently, black market marijuana is readily available, often actually sold at schools and parks. While dispensaries do not limit marijuana supply on their own, they greatly affect the amount of marijuana subject to regulation. Although families are afraid of these stores increasing their child’s exposure to marijuana and other drugs, it’s important to realize these children are already exposed to drugs—and not in a controlled environment. Black market marijuana is often sold alongside other drugs, exposing people to the entire black market rather than cannabis alone. Unlike dispensaries, participants in the black market do not check for papers and ID, are subject to zero regulation, and remain exponentially more dangerous. By shutting out dispensaries, people are forced to use the black market that has already established itself throughout Los Angeles. Dispensaries greatly limit marijuana’s potential as a gateway drug.
Therefore, a compromise must be reached. “Places where children congregate” must be strictly clarified, providing no ambiguity. Creating child-oriented places just to force dispensaries out cannot be allowed. A 1000 ft. perimeter is too large—shrinking its size to 500 ft. would keep stores from settling right next to schools, while keeping good real estate open. This compromise would preserve the rights of medical marijuana patients and dispensaries, while keeping in mind the reasonable needs of parents.
Reference List:
http://www.dispensaryguide.com/area/california/los-angeles-dispensary/1.html
US Census TIGER - Los Angeles County Subdivisions
UCLA GIS MapShare datasets:
Los Angeles Streets
Los Angeles County Parks
Los Angeles County Recreation Areas
US Geographic Names Information System Schools for Los Angeles County
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