Cannabis Law Group's Medical Marijuana Legal Blog
Medical Marijuana Dispensaries in Newport Beach Fall Victim to “Nuisance Abatement”
Three medical marijuana dispensaries in Newport Beach are facing scrutiny from city council as they’re the target of “nuisance abatement.” Many believe after being served with this warning, these shops will be fined and forced out of business, according to Hydroponic Meds. City officials have been known to place fines or liens on companies in amounts in which they are not able to pay, and therefor forced to shut down.
The 3 medical marijuana dispensaries are facing “potential initiation of litigation involving the illegal sale of marijuana” are:
-The West Coast Cure on Newport Boulevard
-Nature’s Alternative Solutions on Irvine Avenue
-The Healing Tree on Birch Street
Our Newport Beach medical marijuana attorneys understand that government officials target dispensaries. We also understand that they will go to great lengths, find bogus violations and create unnecessary regulations in an attempt to control the industry. If you are facing charges for operating a medical dispensary in California, it is critical for you to contact an experienced attorney. With proper representation at your side, you can more efficiently fight for your given rights as a legal business operation in the state of California.
Newport Beach isn’t the first city to do this sort of thing. Santa Ana dispensaries regularly face fines from the city. Companies in the area have come to add this inconvenience as a business cost in order to continue to operate. Long Beach dispensaries face fines of roughly $2,500 each day when served a violation. These fines get tagged on as liens on the property owner is these fines are not paid.
Newport city council discussed the closure of these 3 dispensaries during a closed session agenda for Tuesday.
Within the next month, the city looks to close at least 20 more dispensaries after expected failed site inspections and code violations. The county oftentimes relies on these code violations and site inspections to shut down these medical marijuana dispensaries as outright bans have proven to backfire. Seemingly, it’s an endless circle.
A recent closure, Holistic Health’s of Dana Point, shut down a number of their dispensaries after the receiving building violations. The owners of the company were fined $1 million.
Newport Beach isn’t alone. Costa Mesa is currently facing decisions regarding regulation or an outright ban for these medical marijuana companies as well.
One thing is for certain, there will continue to be a lot of uncertainty pertaining to the industry, especially with the 2012 election approaching. Many worry that if President Obama is not reelected and a Republican takes office once again that the Feds will attack these companies even harder, according to Medical Cannabis.
The residents of California gave medical marijuana the go-ahead back in 1996. Since then, many cities have fought to keep these dispensaries beyond their city lines.
According to city spokeswoman Tara Finnigan, dispensaries are currently prohibited under Newport’s zoning and municipal codes.
The CANNABIS LAW GROUP offers experienced and aggressive representation to the medical marijuana industry in Southern California– including growers, dispensaries and collectives, patients and those facing marijuana charges. Call 949-375-4734 for a confidential consultation to discuss your rights.