POT SHOPS SPROUTING--AND SO ARE ROBBERIES

LOS ANGELES--With the rapid expansion of medical marijuana clinics in the San Fernando Valley, police say they have seen a massive increase in the number of burglaries and violent robberies at the facilities.

There have been at least 200 robberies at medical marijuana dispensaries in the Valley in the last two years -- or an average of two for each of the Valley's estimated 100 facilities, according to Los Angeles police. They say the nature of the business -- dealing in drugs and cash -- makes them prime targets for thieves.

The most recent stickup occurred about 10 p.m. Wednesday, when masked gunmen tied up employees at a Canoga Park clinic and made off with an undisclosed amount of money and marijuana.

The disturbing trend exposes the vulnerability of the businesses, where thieves can potentially snag tens of thousands of dollars and pounds of drugs.


"It certainly is a phenomenon that has happened with the proliferation of these dispensaries," said LAPD Deputy Chief Michel Moore, the top-ranking officer in the San Fernando Valley. "They are easy targets."

Marijuana was legalized for medical use when voters approved Proposition 215 in 1996. Operating like a co-op, the facilities are allowed to grow and distribute marijuana to members who have a "recommendation" from a physician.

The law also empowered local jurisdictions to establish guidelines for the dispensaries.

In Los Angeles, a draft ordinance regulating medical marijuana dispensaries is expected to be debated Tuesday by a City Council committee, officials said. It is expected to establish regulations about where the collectives can operate and include recommendations for security.

The number of dispensaries has exploded in Los Angeles, from four in 2005 to an estimated 800 today. The growth accelerated this spring after the Obama administration said federal prosecutors would no longer pursue drug charges against medical-marijuana clinics.

"We went from about five in the Devonshire (Division) area before this to now we have about 40," said LAPD Detective Robert Holcomb. "They're opening every day."

With names that often include words like "Holistic," "Organic" and "Caregivers," dispensaries have opened despite a moratorium on new establishments that the City Attorney's Office imposed in fall 2007. At that time, 185 dispensaries were operating citywide.

Some new operators tried to get around the moratorium by filing a hardship application claiming they had been unable to register before the ban was imposed. Operators then opened their doors while awaiting a hearing on their application.

The city has since eliminated the hardship exemption.

"They filed for hardship, opened up and waited for a hearing," said City Councilman Dennis Zine, who has sought stronger regulation of the clinics. "This is an absolute disgrace and a mockery of law.

"It's not about compassion. These people have turned it into a moneymaking enterprise. They could care less about compassion."

Zine's concerns echo those voiced by police -- that the dispensaries are simply selling marijuana to anyone rather than distributing it to members with health problems.

But operators and advocates dispute Zine's accusations, saying they take their responsibilities -- and their security -- seriously.

At the Herbal Healing Center in Valley Village, for instance, patrons must first slip their doctor's "recommendations" through a slot in the locked front door before entering, manager Tom Leavell said.

Patients are then allowed inside, but friends and relatives must wait outside. Leavell credits the limited entry and a surveillance camera system for keeping the collective secure.

"We've been here for two years, and we've never had an issue," Leavell said.

"We have a lot of regular customers who we know on a first-name basis. If a group of people come to the door, we definitely ask for identification and weed out patients and nonpatients."

But Deputy Chief Moore believes some dispensaries haven't reported problems, so the number of heists may actually be higher than 200.

"On the basis of the information that I have, these locations are an attractive site for suspects to either commit burglary or robbery," Moore said. "They're going to get narcotics, and they're going to get money."

Three gunmen and a woman got away with cash and marijuana in a Wednesday night takeover robbery of a dispensary in the 22300 block of Sherman Way.

Authorities are investigating whether any of those robbers may have been involved in a string of heists that began in the West Valley in late May. Suspects in those stickups pistol-whipped employees at one dispensary and shot a man in the back at another.

Following the May 23 robbery at Benefit Corp., located in the 6400 block of Topanga Canyon Boulevard, operators installed panic buttons, a bulletproof wall and a security cage where patrons are checked for weapons by an armed guard before entering the shop.

"I'm trying to control as many variables as I can," said an employee, who asked not to be named for safety reasons. "If someone tries to muscle something from us once they get in, they have to go past the armed guard to get out."

The marijuana dispensary robberies remind Moore of a rash of heists of banks, pharmacies and convenience stores years ago. Those businesses beefed up security, just as the clinics are being forced to do.

But Marc Kent, chairman of the Los Angeles Marijuana Collective Association, questioned the high number of burglaries and robberies that police are reporting.

"I question the reason that such an outrageous statement was made," he said. "I question that there's some other motivation behind it, such as trying to create the illusion that medical marijuana collectives are nuisances when, in fact, it's just not true."