On so-called Marijuana Day or “4/20” as it is also known, Compton authorities on Thursday announced the closure of several dispensaries that were operating illegally.
In this city, the sale of this drug has been illegal since 2018, when voters approved a law.
Despite the fact that California decriminalized the use of recreational marijuana in 2018, each entity can prohibit its sale and in Compton, voters approved a law the same year that does not allow dispensaries to operate in their community.
In the past six months, nine marijuana dispensaries have been closed in the city of Compton.
The most recent was this underground business that authorities said operated in the 800 block east of Compton Boulevard, where marijuana edibles, methamphetamines and even firearms were confiscated.
“Each dispensary has over $10,000 worth of illegal marijuana merchandise,” said Hilary Lambarri, spokeswoman for the mayor of Compton.
In 2018 the voters of the city of Compton approved a ley that tornó ilegal the operation of such dispensary of marihuana… desde entonces las autoridades han tenido que establecer un unidad especial para dismantelar más 80 clandestinos negocios… de los cuales casi 40 siguen abiertos hasta date.
“And every time a site closed, it reopened somewhere else,” Lambarri said.
Tackling the illegal sale of narcotics, firearms and marijuana is so difficult for Compton authorities that they have prosecuted at least 30 people with various ties to the dispensaries.
And in some cases, they had to demolish properties, to prevent them from reopening.
“We are not only fining those who are in dispensaries, but also those who are themselves responsible for keeping them open,” Labarri said.
Earlier this month, parents denounced anonymously in front of our cameras that at least one of these clandestine dispensaries was operating within walking distance of a school.
Illegal businesses that charge hundreds of thousands of dollars, Compton city officials say, pose a threat to public safety.
“These businesses attract violence, murder, robbery and fighting, the councilman said,” said Andre Spicer, a Compton 2nd Ward councilman.
Captain Terrace Bell of the Compton Sheriff’s Office pointed out that the main challenge facing authorities in the fight against clandestine dispensaries is the rapid relocation of these illegal businesses which are believed to operate as part of a criminal network that makes advertising their products on social media.
“We urge the community to report any suspicious activity related to illegal dispensaries,” Capt Bell said.
The city of Compton also sued dispensary operators and landowners for $22 million in an effort to recover fees those businesses would have to pay to obtain a permit. If the claim proceeds, the amount dispensaries would pay would be historic in Los Angeles County.