Laguna Woods' retirees still await medical pot dispensary

It's just past noon in Laguna Woods, and retired Navy pilot David Masters, 71, has just wrapped up 18 holes on the golf course. The scene beyond him is something out of a postcard: bright green grass framed by blue sky and snow-capped mountains. Just around the corner, a group of retirees pokes gentle fun at one another while they lawn bowl. And in a nearby clubhouse, another social club gathers to chat, share drinks and eat coffeecake.

Such is the pace of life in Laguna Woods, where residents of Laguna Woods Village, one of the largest retirement communities in the country, make up about 90% of the city. Here, the average age is 78, residents drive golf carts to the grocery store and the lawn bowling greens, and bridge games and social clubs are the stuff of daily life.

So are illness and pain. Conversation frequently touches on a litany of ailments everyone seems to share -- diabetes, arthritis, glaucoma, cancer -- though dwelling on such matters is something of a taboo. More than anything, people here say they are trying to cope with the realities of aging and illness while remaining engaged in this new phase of life, one in which they refuse to accept that retirement means being closed up and isolated.

This is why, city officials say, they voted late last year to approve an ordinance permitting medical marijuana to be sold in town, the only city in Orange County to endorse cannabis dispensaries.

"The purpose isn't to be spaced out," said Mayor Bob Ring, 75, who moved to the Village 20 years ago after retiring from his job as an executive at an electronics manufacturer. "The purpose is to make it so that it's worth getting up each day."

Applicants must agree to serve only city residents and show that they have a willing landlord. That last part has proved difficult, said City Manager Leslie Keane.

While the dust-up over marijuana dispensaries in Laguna Woods is different because of the age of its residents, cities throughout California have wrestled with issues surrounding dispensaries for years. Although several have adopted ordinances like the one in Laguna Woods that regulate where, how and when dispensaries can operate, the decision by landlords to rent to such operations is increasingly precarious. In recent years, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has warned landlords that they risk arrest and loss of their properties if they continue renting to dispensaries.