from the LA Times, Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Cash and Cannabis was the ‘hot ticket’ issue taken up by the Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday, November 24th. First on the agenda was the general legality of accepting cash at the medical marijuana centers. It enforces the term sale that flies against the state board’s position barring the sale of marijuana. The City Council therefore, decided on less aggressive words to avoid the implication of sale, they are; cash contribution, reimbursement, and compensation. This language now complies with state law.

The other hot ‘cash’ issue brought to light by the city council was their concern of the excessively large salaries earned at these collectives or dispensaries. Some have reported earnings of $12,000.00 a day. The suggestion was to cap overall salaries at $100,000.00, which would be similar to the compensation earned by United Way executives. Research shows, according to the Chronicles of Philanthropy: The Newspaper of Nonprofit World, 2007 that United Way executives are paid according to the amount of fundraising generated by their chapter. The high paid executives are always under fire regarding this type of compensation, because it raises the question, “Exactly what is fair and just?”

The question is, “Does the LA City Council has the right to consider regulating the earnings of these dispensaries?”