Moratorium approved on new pot dispensaries

The Los Angeles City Council gave final approval Wednesday to a one-year moratorium on new medical marijuana dispensaries, a move designed to buy time for city officials seeking to draft new regulations covering marijuana facilities.

The council voted 10-2 for the temporary ban, with Councilmen Bernard C. Parks and Greig Smith dissenting.

Smith and Parks argued that because marijuana is an illegal substance regulated by the federal government, the city should not craft a policy for approving pot dispensaries.