League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	Los Angeles County, CA May 21, 2013 Election
	Ordinance F Medical Marijuana Regulation and Taxation City of Los Angeles Initiative Ordinance - Majority Approval Required Unofficial Results as of: 05/22/2013 2:59:42 AM Fail: 117,305 / 40.9% Yes votes ...... 169,629 / 59.1% No votes See Also: Index of all Measures

Arguments For Ordinance F

Arguments Against Ordinance F

Ordinance F will protect our communities and children, strictly regulate medical marijuana collectives and require them to register, and provide desperately needed revenue to fund police, fire and education. Unlike another medical marijuana initiative on the ballot, Ordinance F provides revenue for services for the residents of Los Angeles by requiring collectives to pay an additional 20% increase in their city taxes. To assure financial transparency, Ordinance F requires each collective to file an annual audit of its operations, certified by an independent certified public accountant, with the City Controller. ORDINANCE F PROTECTS OUR COMMUNITIES AND OUR CHILDREN BECAUSE IT: Prohibits medical marijuana collectives and dispensaries from locating within 1000 feet of a school. Prohibits medical marijuana collectives and dispensaries from locating near a public park, licensed child-care facility, youth center, public library, religious institution or substance abuse rehab center. Prohibits medical marijuana collectives and dispensaries from allowing minors to enter their premises. Prohibits the sale, dispensing or consumption of alcoholic beverages at the location or parking area of any medical marijuana collective or dispensary. Reduces community congestion by requiring medical marijuana collectives and dispensaries to provide parking at each location. ORDINANCE F PROTECTS THE SICK AND ELDERLY BECAUSE IT: Requires medical marijuana collectives and dispensaries to test marijuana for pesticides and other regulated contaminants before providing the medical marijuana to their patients. Requires medical marijuana collectives and dispensaries to provide a licensed and uniformed security guard patrol at the premises during all hours of operation. The City of Los Angeles has unsuccessfully spent years fumbling the issue of medical marijuana collective regulation. Don't be fooled by Proposition D. It is a Trojan Horse. This measure was slapped on the ballot at the last minute by the City Council, the same group of politicians who in 2012 voted to ban all dispensaries in Los Angeles, and thereby deny access to medical marijuana to all residents of the city + as well as violate the clearly expressed will of the voters of California in passing Proposition 215 in 1996. Moreover, Proposition D is based on a distinction between marijuana collectives that was found unconstitutional by Judge Anthony Mohr of the Los Angeles Superior Court and could be found unconstitutional again + which would leave the City without regulation. It is time the People take control of the situation and pass strict but reasonable regulation of medical marijuana to protect our communities, and add significant new revenue to pay for law enforcement, firefighters, and schools. FOR COMMUNITY SAFETY AND COMPASSIONATE CARE - VOTE YES ON INITIATIVE ORDINANCE F! ROBERT KERNS NICK MORROW, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Detective, Retired Rebuttal to Arguments For Vote NO on Initiative Ordinance F This ordinance will increase the proliferation of illegal pot shops across Los Angeles. It won't overturn Federal law which prohibits the sale or possession of marijuana for any reason. This initiative will only protect the untold millions of illegal cash profits made by illegal pot shop owners at the expense of our communities. The continued operation of illegal pot shops only creates the potential for increased blight, robberies and even homicide. Law enforcement needs every tool possible to keep our City safe. It will NOT provide additional revenue for Los Angeles. Medicine is not subject to tax. This initiative will place the City in endless litigation, diverting vital resources from core services. We all have sympathy for the seriously ill; however, this initiative does nothing to protect patients. Join law enforcement and community leaders across Los Angeles and Vote NO on F. BERNARD C. PARKS, Councilmember, District 8, City of Los Angeles MITCHELL ENGLANDER, Councilmember, District 12, City of Los Angeles ROBERT RUBIN, Consultant THEODORE THOMAS, President, Park Mesa Heights Community Council PAULA CRACIUM, President, Porter Ranch Neighborhood Council

Vote NO on Initiative Ordinance F This initiative will increase the proliferation of illegal pot shops across Los Angeles. Nothing in F will overturn Federal law which prohibits the sale or possession of marijuana for any reason. This initiative will only protect the untold millions of illegal cash profits made by illegal pot shop owners at the expense of our communities. Vote NO on Initiative Ordinance F. It ties the hands of neighborhoods under siege by illegal pot shops. There are more illegal pot shops than ice cream stores in Los Angeles. The continued operation of illegal pot shops only creates the potential for increased blight, takeover robberies, and even homicides. Law enforcement needs every tool possible to keep our City safe. Vote NO on Initiative Ordinance F. It will NOT provide additional revenue for Los Angeles. Medicine is not subject to tax. The pot shop owners have already sued the City to prevent taxation of their illegal businesses. This initiative will just place the City in endless litigation and divert vital resources from core services. Vote NO on Initiative Ordinance F. We all have sympathy for the seriously ill; however, this initiative does nothing to protect patients. California's 1996 Compassionate Use Act already protects patients and their caregivers from criminal prosecution. Protect our communities from blight, illegal drug sales and violent crime. Join law enforcement and community leaders across Los Angeles and vote NO on F. BERNARD C. PARKS, Councilmember, District 8, City of Los Angeles MITCH ENGLANDER, Councilmember, District 12, City of Los Angeles PAULA CRACIUM, President, Porter Ranch Neighborhood Council EDWARD HEADINGTON, President, Granada Hills North Neighborhood Council BETTYE BRYANT, Representative, Mid City Neighborhood Council Region 1 THEODORE THOMAS, President, Park Mesa Heights Community Council ROBERT RUBIN, Consultant Rebuttal to Arguments Against VOTE YES ON F! The Argument against F is not based in reality, lacks any factual foundation and hopes to confuse you, the voter, by using fear and intimidation. In fact, the Argument against Ordinance F was drafted by the same Los Angeles City Council that voted to ban all medical marijuana collectives rather than regulate them. Clearly the City Council has no honest intent to regulate or tax medical marijuana in the City as it purports to do in its own measure + it wants to do away with all dispensaries. It is evermore clear that Ordinance F is the only reasonable choice for this City to end the proliferation of medical marijuana dispensaries, as well as a practical way to add much-needed revenue to our City's budget for police, firefighters and our schools + especially with the defeat of Measure A in the March primary. Unlike the other measures Ordinance F is the only regulation that will: Require background checks of all managers, employees and volunteers; Require each medical marijuana dispensary to file with the City Controller an audit of its operations that is reviewed by a CPA; Require each dispensary to provide parking for its customers; Deny access to all children under any circumstance; and Require each medical marijuana dispensary to test and analyze medical marijuana for pesticides and toxins. Ordinance F will NOT overturn Federal Law as the United States Supreme Court has already ruled that Federal law does not preclude state's regulation of medical marijuana. Ordinance F will NOT tie the hands of neighborhoods as it allows the City Council to make reasonable changes that advance the spirit of the law. Ordinance F will NOT make it harder for law enforcement to regulate medical marijuana as each collective will have to register with the City and the police department. Ordinance F increases the revenue the City already receives from medical marijuana by 20%. After collecting tax revenue from medical marijuana collectives for only six months in 2011, the City received over $2,500,000 in taxes from medical marijuana collectives alone. Unlike the other measures, the success of Ordinance F will limit future litigation as there will be a solid and constitutional law on the books for the City to enforce. Don't be fooled by the other measures. Ordinance F provides the greatest amount of reasonable regulation and compassion to provide the City relief from the proliferation of medical marijuana dispensaries, while at the same time raising much needed revenue to pay for law enforcement, firefighters and education for Angelenos. It is time the People take control and join LAW ENFORCEMENT AND COMMUNITY LEADERS to protect our communities by voting YES on ORDINANCE F! ROBERT KERNS STEPHEN DOWNING, Deputy Chief of Police (Retired), Los Angeles Police Department NICK MORROW, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Detective, Retired TRAVIS GUEVARA KASPER, South Park Business Director, Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council