State Supreme Court Hearing On Pot Dispensaries Could Affect Palo Alto

Whether cities such as Palo Alto can ban medical marijuana dispensaries will be the topic of a high-stakes court hearing.

On Tuesday, the California Supreme Court will hear arguments on whether communities can prohibit these marijuana facilities in light of the 1996 voter-approved law legalizing pot for medicinal uses in California.

As detailed in a San Jose Mercury News story, the hearing stems from a Southern California case where a wellness center sued to overturn Riverside's ban on marijuana dispensaries.

Palo Alto residents affirmed their opposition to medical marijuana dispensaries in November by soundly defeating Measure C.

Palo Alto is one of about a dozen South Bay and Peninsula cities that have some sort of prohibition in place.

Other Santa Clara and San Mateo cities with bans are East Palo Alto, Gilroy, Hollister, Los Gatos, Millbrae, Morgan Hill, Redwood City, San Bruno, South San Francisco and Sunnyvale.

There are 21 East Bay cities with bans and two on the Monterey Bay that prohibit medicinal marijuana dispensaries.

The state Supreme Court will hear arguments Tuesday in San Francisco. A decision is expected in the spring.

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