Health & Medicine
San Jose Imposes New Medical Marijuana Rules
Thomas Carannante
First Posted: Jun 11, 2014 01:12 PM EDT
The San Jose City Council approved stringent new regulations for medical marijuana dispensaries throughout the city. Many pot clubs and dispensaries will be forced to close and find a new location as a result.
In a 7-3 vote, the city's legislators opted to limit where existing and new pot clubs/dispensaries can do business, specifically in the few industrial areas of San Jose. The city's shops will now have to grow their own marijuana and cannot allow anyone under the age of 18 inside their store. The location restrictions will not allow any medical marijuana shops to come within 1,000 feet of a school, park, or anywhere else children gather, 150 feet of a residence, or 500 feet of a substance abuse center.
The new regulations will force almost all of the 78 weed locations in San Jose to move once they take effect in a month. The shops will be dispersed throughout the city's industrial areas, which make up only 1% of San Jose. Parents, prosecutors, business owners, and school officials were those that led the charge to change the city's current marijuana dispensary laws.
"The reason why I am supporting this is because if we do nothing, if we vote for nothing, then we're voting to continue not regulating the industry," said San Jose City Council Member Johnny Khamis, in this CBS San Francisco news article.
"I think we came up with something that protects our residents while still providing enough space for dispensaries to operate," Councilman Pete Constant said in this Mercury News article.
This decision comes only a week after San Jose residents were given free medical marijuana for voting in a local election. Those with medical marijuana identification cards who received an "I Voted" sticker were given free or discounted weed for participating in the primary Election Day.
However, opponents of the new marijuana dispensary restrictions are ready to submit a voter initiative to overturn Tuesday's ruling. San Jose will likely have an update on this story in the immediate future.
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First Posted: Jun 11, 2014 01:12 PM EDT
The San Jose City Council approved stringent new regulations for medical marijuana dispensaries throughout the city. Many pot clubs and dispensaries will be forced to close and find a new location as a result.
In a 7-3 vote, the city's legislators opted to limit where existing and new pot clubs/dispensaries can do business, specifically in the few industrial areas of San Jose. The city's shops will now have to grow their own marijuana and cannot allow anyone under the age of 18 inside their store. The location restrictions will not allow any medical marijuana shops to come within 1,000 feet of a school, park, or anywhere else children gather, 150 feet of a residence, or 500 feet of a substance abuse center.
The new regulations will force almost all of the 78 weed locations in San Jose to move once they take effect in a month. The shops will be dispersed throughout the city's industrial areas, which make up only 1% of San Jose. Parents, prosecutors, business owners, and school officials were those that led the charge to change the city's current marijuana dispensary laws.
"The reason why I am supporting this is because if we do nothing, if we vote for nothing, then we're voting to continue not regulating the industry," said San Jose City Council Member Johnny Khamis, in this CBS San Francisco news article.
"I think we came up with something that protects our residents while still providing enough space for dispensaries to operate," Councilman Pete Constant said in this Mercury News article.
This decision comes only a week after San Jose residents were given free medical marijuana for voting in a local election. Those with medical marijuana identification cards who received an "I Voted" sticker were given free or discounted weed for participating in the primary Election Day.
However, opponents of the new marijuana dispensary restrictions are ready to submit a voter initiative to overturn Tuesday's ruling. San Jose will likely have an update on this story in the immediate future.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone