Calif. Court Rules in Favor of City, County Medical Pot Bans
On Wednesday, a three-judge panel in the 4th District Court of Appeals in California upheld a Riverside city ban on medical marijuana dispensaries, ruling that state law allows cities and counties to enact such bans. The Inland Empire Patient's Health and Wellness Center filed a lawsuit against Riverside after city officials banned the sale of medical marijuana in 2009. A Superior Court ruled in favor of the city, but the center's medical pot dispensary remained open while the case was being appealed. An attorney for the center said it plans to appeal the latest ruling to the state Supreme Court.
- "Cities Can Prohibit Pot Dispensaries, Court Rules" (Egelko, San Francisco Chronicle, 11/11).
- "California Court Rules Cities, Counties Can Ban Pot Stores" (Hoeffel, Los Angeles Times, 11/10).