Although the protection of children is an important priority, the limitations put upon the location of medical marijuana dispensaries are absurd and unrealistic. As can be seen in the GIS map below, the buffer zone of 1000 feet surrounding all schools, libraries, and parks cover the a large percentage of the Hollywood area. Furthermore, the policy is rather vague in classifying “places where children congregate” so this buffer zone may actually be larger than depicted in this map
According to an article in the LA Times, medical marijuana dispensaries must abide by many restrictions including hours, on-site consumption, profitability, and the list goes on. After all of these restrictions have been enforced, city officials have also decided to limit locations of dispensaries due to public complaints. It seems as though parents fear that marijuana dispensary locations near their children’s activities pose a risk of their child being exposed to drugs. However, one must consider the fact that there are drug dealers and users all over a neighborhood like Hollywood offering much more dangerous drugs than marijuana. Instead of using the city’s funds to regulate medical marijuana, more time and money should be invested into the sale of drugs on the black market.
The map of dispensaries in the city of Los Angeles shows only a small fraction of locations due to the lack of information on the internet. This is probably represents the efforts of many dispensaries to maintain a low profile to avoid being shut down. The main drive behind this legislation is concerned parents and community members who assume majijuana is a dangerous drug simply because it is banned in the United States. Furthermore, they fail to recognize the advantages of government regulation as opposed to sale on the black market. Whether a child or teenager decides to use marijuana is largely dependent on their upbringing and less a factor of medical marijuana dispensaries. Black market marijuana is readily available in the vast majority of schools, representing an extremely close proximity and exposure to children.
Therefore a compromise should be made. In order to maintain a reasonable distance between children and marijuana users, a 500 foot perimeter should be established with very strict guidelines on what constitutes "a place where children congregate." Furthermore, restrictions must be made to limit radical citizens from erecting child-oriented places intentionally near a medical marijuana dispensary in order to force them out. This compromise would satisfy the reasonable contentions of parents while also preserving the rights of medical marijuana facilities and patients.
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