The marijuana dispensary currently operating in Hacienda Heights will be closing soon, Supervisor Don Knabe announced today.

The dispensary, which is located at 15838 Haliburton Road in Hacienda Heights opened in May 2005 and was the first medical marijuana dispensary in the unincorporated area of Los Angeles County. At that time, there were no regulations in the County that governed marijuana dispensaries. Supervisor Knabe led the effort to make sure that these dispensaries would be adequately regulated in order to keep neighborhoods safe, and on May 9, 2006, the Board of Supervisors approved an ordinance that regulated marijuana dispensaries in the County.

The new ordinance had a clause which stated that a marijuana dispensary must be at least 1,000 feet from a sensitive location like a school, church, library, etc. Under the new regulations the dispensary in Hacienda Heights was out of compliance with that clause. The operator of the dispensary, California Medical Caregivers Association, has settled with the County and agreed to cease all operations in the unincorporated area of the County for which they have not obtained permits or licenses required under the new regulation and will vacate the Hacienda Heights location on or before April 30, 2007.

This is a big victory for us, said Supervisor Knabe. As I have said before this issue is not about whether medical marijuana is right or wrong – the voters have already answered that question. What is most critical is ensuring the safety of our children and our neighborhoods. Closing this dispensary ensures we are keeping our neighborhoods safe.