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Public Safety

San Diego Council Committee Votes To Legalize Marijuana Dispensaries

Medical marijuana dispensaries could be operating legally in San Diego within a few months, now that a San Diego City Council committee has passed a draft ordinance to regulate them.

The San Diego land use and housing committee approved a plan that would place many restrictions on marijuana dispensaries. They cannot be located within a thousand feet of a school, a park or another marijuana dispensary. They would also be kept out of commercial zones near residential areas.

Even so, Alex Kreit, the chair of the city's medical marijuana task force, called the council vote a major step forward.

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"And hopefully we'll be getting an ordinance in place sometimes in the next few months because of moving the ball forward here today," he said. "So I think it's fantastic."

Councilman Tony Young opposed the ordinance because it contains no cap on the number of marijuana dispensaries allowed within city limits. The full City Council must approve the plan before it becomes law.

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