The era of medical marijuana on every corner in Los Angeles is over.
A city ordinance is shutting down 439 medical marijuana dispensaries across the Los Angeles area, according to the L.A. Times. The restrictions come after a boom in the number of locations over the past two and a half years.
Dispensaries had until Monday to comply with the city ordinance to shut their doors. Those who didn’t faced substantial penalties: $2,500 for each day they remained open and a jail sentence of up to six months. The goal is to eventually reduce the number of dispensaries in the city to under 100, first targeting those designated as a “nuisance” — dispensaries in close proximity to schools or other community meeting places. After the wave of closures, 135 should remain.
The shutdowns come after a law passed in January by the Los Angeles City Council, which reduced the number of dispensaries that could legally operate to between 70 and 187, according to Reuters. City officials are currently assessing how many of the 439 targeted for closure complied with the order.
