The California Supreme Court upheld the right of cities and counties to ban medical cannabis dispensaries today in a unanimous decision with major ramifications for the state.
“We granted review. We now conclude the Court of Appeal‘s judgment must be affirmed,” Justice Marvin Baxter wrote for the Court.
California Supreme Court The California Supreme Court
Cities like San Francisco, Oakland, and West Hollywood that have regulated medical marijuana collectives operating in storefronts — i.e., dispensaries — won’t be affected, but the decision buttresses the bans of dozens of cities and counties like Riverside and Walnut Creek. And the decision will become a huge factor in cities and counties still on the fence about dispensary bans, as well as in the legislature, where efforts are afoot to regulate the state’s estimated $1.3 billion medical cannabis industry.
