Dispensary Patients Do Not Have to Work for Dispensary

The California Supreme Court recently denied review of a dispensary case out of Los Angeles. The court opted not to review the Court of Appeal ruling in People v. Colvin, and by doing so, the California Supreme Court upheld certain protections for medical marijuana patients and providers. Attorney General Harris had argued that some unknown percentage of patients were legally required to participate in the operation of the medical marijuana dispensaries in order to obtain medication from them.

The Court of Appeal also held in People v. Colvin that, “collectives and cooperatives may cultivate and transport marijuana in aggregate amounts tied to its membership numbers.” The Colvin decision affirmed that possession of extracted or concentrated forms of medical marijuana was legal under state law, which is another important holding.

“The decision not to review People v. Colvin should now put to rest this unfounded notion that patients must ’till the soil’ or somehow participate in the production of the medicine they purchase at a dispensary,” said Joe Elford, Chief Counsel with Americans for Safe Access (ASA).