Ruling: Local governments can ban medical marijuana dispensaries

Cave Junction, Ore. — A win for Southern Oregon cities and counties opposing the new state law allowing medical marijuana dispensaries.

The City of Cave Junction challenged the state in Josephine county circuit court and in a ruling handed down by Judge Pat Wolke Thursday affirmed that local governments can indeed ban dispensaries.

Wolke ruled that a 2013 law allowing dispensaries and another law that allows local governments to impose yearlong dispensary moratoriums do not prevent cities from banning dispensaries.

It is not yet known if the state will appeal the ruling, Wolke’s ruling did not tackle the issue of federal trumping state marijuana laws.