Marijuana Dispensary Buffer Zones
2/3/10
Shayda Haghgoo
It has come to my attention that the City Council of Los Angeles recently ruled to adopt an ordinance requiring dispensaries to be at least 1,000 feet from areas where children congregate, and I disagree with such a ruling. I have included a map in this brief applying such a buffer to all the schools located within the city (Figure 1). There is a rather large clustering of points in some locations such as the Santa Monica areas or the Van Nuys vicinities (Refer to Figure 2 for city references). These are also the most population dense locations. We are not applying the nation’s economic ideals toward the marijuana commodity and it is a restriction of financial freedom of which many marijuana dispensary owners aim to avoid. By allowing weed dispensaries in highly populated areas, more money will be transferred in these economically stricken urban areas. The microeconomic exchange of money is what is required for this nation to ultimately come out of the economically unfortunate ditch into which it has dug itself. Not only do weed dispensaries increase economic productivity, they provide a wide range of medical benefits as well. Just because there are a lot of schools located in these areas does not mean that senior citizens and those who require the medical benefits of marijuana do not live here. In hard times like these, and in a location with terrible traffic congestion, 1000 feet may be maximum the limit a sick person can walk for many, that distance exceeds their maximum walking distance potential. Hard liquor and beer is rarely prescribed by medical doctors for alleviating aspects of various ailments, and are much more dangerous than the effects of marijuana, yet they do not require a buffer of a similar range. With a majority of democrats present in this city, and by voting for Obama, the citizens’ of Los Angeles trust the president’s decisions in protecting our best interests. The law already bans onsite consumption, added time constraints on dispensary store hours. It was the Obama administration’s decision to no longer prosecute the dispensaries adhering to California’s medical marijuana laws, why must we require a geographic restriction on them?
Figure 1. Locations of Schools in City of Los Angeles with 1000 feet Buffer Zones
Figure 2. Map of Los Angeles Delinating City Boundaries Taken from Orkposters.com
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