So far this year, 18 marijuana dispensaries operating in San Diego have been shuttered through court orders, including one that attempted to reopen multiple times over a period of about two weeks, the City Attorney’s Office reported Tuesday.
“There is no justification for violating the law or violating a court order,” City Attorney Jan Goldsmith said. “The city of San Diego now has zoning for dispensaries under certain approved conditions and operators must follow the law. We will continue to close down dispensaries that violate the city’s zoning laws.”
The dispensaries that were shut down over the first couple of months of this year were generally located in neighborhoods between Interstate 8 and the 94 freeway, including Middletown, Normal Heights, North Park, Rolando and University Heights.
Others were in Barrio Logan, Chollas View, Clairemont, Encanto, Grant Hill, Mountain View, Ocean Beach and Point Loma.
“We believe there are other dispensaries operating illegally in San Diego beyond those that have been referred to us for prosecution,” Goldsmith said. “When cases on those other dispensaries are investigated and brought to us by the San Diego Police Department or Code Enforcement Division, we will close them down and obtain monetary sanctions.”
The city’s first legal marijuana dispensary could open within the next week or so in Otay Mesa.
On Thursday, the city’s Planning Commission will hear appeals against three more that have been tentatively granted permits — in Kearny Mesa, the Midway District and San Ysidro.
— City News Service