LA council reverses medical pot shop ban

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LOS ANGELES, Oct. 2 (UPI) -- The Los Angeles City Council voted Tuesday to repeal its ban on medical marijuana dispensaries in an apparent effort to keep the issue off the ballot next year.

The council voted 11-2 to eliminate the ban it had previously adopted, with some members saying they hoped federal law enforcement of marijuana laws will put medical pot dispensaries out of business, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The council vote means the city's estimated 1,000 pot dispensaries are virtually unregulated, although city officials may try to use zoning laws to have some shut down, the newspaper said.

The vote came after medical marijuana activists gathered signatures on a petition to put before the voters in March an earlier council decision to ban medical marijuana dispensaries.