In a brief interview with a Spanish language television station this weekend, Mayor elect Eric Garcetti voiced his opinion that medical marijuana is ok and that casual use of marijuana might not be so bad either. Garcetti was interviewed by Univision’s Jorge Ramos on Saturday and suggested that if the California voters wished to make marijuana legal, he didn’t seem to have a problem with it. He also stated that medical marijuana is a valuable treatment method.
The brief interview did not extend to the countless numbers of medical marijuana “clinics” in the city or how Garcetti planned to deal with them after the recent election. Garcetti did suggest that police enforcement of marijuana might be better spent elsewhere, dealing with potentially more serious criminal activities.
How the city and it’s new mayor plan to grapple with the issue of medical marijuana remains in the balance, however, I expect some changes to happen in the near future. If I owned a pot shop in Los Angeles and did not have a permit, I would want to keep a pretty low profile right now. And remember, federal law still clearly prohibits marijuana distribution of any kind.
For questions about medical marijuana or any other criminal law matter, call me, Jeffrey Vallens (818) 783-5700 or (888) 764-4340 or email me vallenslaw@yahoo.com or visit my websites www.4criminaldefense.com or www.westlakecriminaldefense.com