Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Ordered To Close In Garden Grove

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The city of Garden Grove ordered medical marijuana dispensaries to close down Tuesday or face fines of $1,000 each day and possible criminal charges.

City officials sent letters to 63 medical marijuana shops. Garden Grove had the highest concentration of pot clinics in all of Orange County.

Herbal Organics on Chapman Avnue had planned on closing by 11 p.m. Tuesday to have enough time to clear out by the midnight deadline, according to store owner Shannon Luce. She said customers were asking a lot of questions.

"A lot of people are like 'What are we going to do, where are we going to go, why do I have this rec from a doctor if i can't use it?'" said Luce, who had planned on continuing to sell medical marijuana to her customers through home delivery.

Luce's shop is equipped with surveillance cameras and a sophisticated camera system to ensure the safety of its customers.

"Do I want to have to go and send people the street?" Luce said.

Some medical marijuana users expressed frustration with the city, saying they'd have to find alternative sources for pot.

Terre Lowe who use the drug to treat arthritis pain and migraines, said they weren't happy about having to find other alternatives.

"Like you would go to CVS, or someone else would go to CVS," said Huntington Beach resident Terre Lowe, who uses marijana to treat pain associated with arthritis, migraines and insomnia.

"This is my pharmacy," Lowe said.

But others were pleased with the city's actions.

Robert Thill, whose office is next to both Herbal Organics and a day care, held back tears of happiness when he learned the stope would be closing.

"The kids need to be taken care of," Thill said. "They don't need to be smelling it in their playing yard. They're 52 feet away from smoking dope."

The Garden Grove City Council had voted to ban the shops in 2008, but held off on enforcing the ban until after the state Supreme Court affirmed cities' rights on the issue earlier this year.

"Up until this current ruling, we had kind of waited to see what the decision was going to be before we moved forward," said Ana Pulido, public information officer for the city.

Garden Grove police blame a 16 percent increase in crime over the last year, in part, on the marijuana dispensaries.

Opponents of the ban were expected to protest the closures at the City Council meeting on Tuesday night. However, no action related to medical marijuana shops was scheduled on the meeting agenda.

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News Hawk- Truth Seeker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: nbclosangeles.com
Author: Hetty Chang
Contact: Contact Us | NBC Southern California
Website: Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Ordered to Close in Garden Grove | NBC Southern California
 
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