Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer continued his assault on Southern California’s medical marijuana dispensaries this week under the controversial Proposition D, which bans all but 135 shops in Los Angeles.
Feuer has filed a lawsuit against the Highland Park Patient Collective, which is trying to open a retail store in Mar Vista. The lawsuit names owners Justin Keirn, Patrick Murphy and Harvey Katofsky, along with three companies: Lancaster Villas LLC, Hypericum Interests LLC and Palmdale Land Co.
This should put other dispensaries in violation of Prop D – as well as their business partners, such as landlords – on alert. The city has vowed to aggressively crack down on these businesses, and this is a step in that direction.
Los Angeles City Councilman Mike Bonin, who lives in Mar Vista, applauded Feuer’s efforts. In a letter to Keirn, whose name is on the Mar Vista business lease, Bonin said that while he supports “compassionate care” and the “legal use” of medical marijuana, the new shop is illegal under Proposition D.
Some believe Proposition D, which voters approved in May, goes too far and unfairly targets dispensaries that have operated under the law for years.
