[UPDATED: Gov. Brown Vetoes Bill] Lou Correa Pushing New Marijuana Buffer Zone Law in Sacramento

UPDATED, SEPT. 21, 2011, 2:31 pm: Gov. Jerry Brown has vetoed SB847, according to this article in the 420Times. Needless to say, celebratory emails are bouncing all over the medical marijuana activist community, especially among members of Americans for Safe Access, which waged a massive call-in campaign urging brown to kill Lou Correa's bill, which would have banned cannabis clubs from operating within 600 feet of a home, effectively shuttering hundreds of dispensaries around the state.
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[UPDATED: JUNE 3, 2011, 10 A.M.] Looks like Lou Correa's effort to ban marijuana dispensaries from operating within 600 feet of a residence is gaining legs. His bill, SB 847,
which would allow local municipalities to opt out of–or increase or
decrease the size of–the proposed buffer zone overwhelmingly passed the
state senate in a 31-2 vote yesterday, with the only opposing votes
coming from San Francisco Senators Mark Leno and Leland Yee.

A full vote by the California State Assembly is expected soon. In an email alert sent yesterday, OCNORML's Kandice Hawes
said the group is planning a visit to Correa's headquarters to protest
his legislation. Anyone interested in attending should contact her at

ka************@ao*.com











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[ORIGINAL POST, MAY 6, 2011, 3 P.M.] Remember that marijuana dispensary that tried to operate on a residential cul-de-sac in Anaheim? The club that shut down after protests by neighborhood residents? Well, State Senator Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana) does, and according to an article in today's Orange County Register,
he's busy garnering support from fellow legislators to pass a law that
would make it illegal for anyone to open a cannabis club within 600 feet
of a home.

So if you live, say, in Coto de Caza, Turtle Rock or Leisure World
and figured it'd be a great idea to turn your living room into the
local neighborhood marijuana dispensary, the clock is ticking before
your ingenious plan could backfire.

Not surprisingly, the Register reports, Anaheim officials are helping Correa push the bill by sending city council members north to talk about their harrowing experience with the rogue pot club earlier this year.

If it passes, Correa's law would follow a similar piece of legislation that became effective on Jan. 1 that prohibits cannabis clubs from operating within 600 feet of a school. Citing that law, Lake Forest city officials are seeking to drive seven dispensaries from a mini-mall that also houses a daycare center. The law would allow cities to amend the buffer zone, making it either more or less restrictive depending on how much they really hate medical marijuana.

Although the Reg says Correa's bill passed the State Senate's public safety committee, it still has a long way to go before it hits the floor for a full vote. Stay tuned..