With state and local leaders still working out how to regulate legalized marijuana, Los Angeles County on Tuesday signaled it would extend a temporary ban on the cultivation, testing and sale of the drug and called for a renewed crackdown on illegal dispensaries.
The moves came in unanimous decisions by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on two motions.
In the first, Supervisor Kathryn Barger instructed county staff to prepare an ordinance that will extend an already existing ban on medical marijuana cultivation and distribution in the unincorporated areas of L.A. County. The ordinance will also reinforce the ban's inclusion of recreational marijuana.
The ban is meant to remain in place until a regulatory system is established in the county.
The second motion was submitted by supervisors Sheila Kuehl and Janice Hahn, and it's meant to establish that regulatory framework. It calls for research into where shops should be located, how many should be allowed, how to help communities most impacted by the war on drugs and other issues. The framework will be prepared and presented to the supervisors by December.