Up in smoke

Flourishing 'medical' marijuana dispensaries show hypocrisy of law

WHO knew that a cancer epidemic had struck Los Angeles? Not the doctors or hospitals, which report nothing unusual. But the happy folks who run the "medical" marijuana dispensaries sure do. In just a year, the number of pot dens in L.A. has jumped from five to 60 - suggesting that this must be the world's biggest cancer cluster. Or, as is more likely, the state medical-marijuana law that voters approved in 1996 is being badly abused. City Councilman Dennis Zine, an ex-cop, has called for a moratorium on any new dispensaries - a sensible action to take while proper regulations are developed to comply with the law. Surely 60 marijuana storefronts will be more than plenty to meet the city's legitimate needs until it gets this problem controlled - cancer epidemic or not.

Yep, who knew!