Northern Calif. town bans medical marijuana shops

Nov. 5, 2009 | AP

A small Northern California city has banned medical marijuana growing and dispensing, a move opponents say will bring lawsuits.

Red Bluff's city council approved two measures Tuesday night restricting the drug. The panel voted 4-1 to ban collectives and cultivation and unanimously passed an emergency ordinance to immediately prohibit dispensaries.

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Most of the two dozen people who addressed the council argued against the ban, saying it would violate state law.

State Justice Department guidelines assert that doctor-certified patients have the right to grow medical marijuana and form collectives. But at least two recent state courts have determined that state medical marijuana laws do not necessarily pre-empt city zoning regulations.

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