Motivations for the Postponement of L.A. Medical Marijuana Vote Unclear

Medical marijuana proponents in Los Angeles were granted a temporary reprieve with the postponement of a vote to shutter the city's dispensaries until July 24.

Several key members of the L.A. City Council were not in attendance, pushing the date of the vote back. KCBS/KCAL reports that KNX 1070′s John Brooks said the delay was the result of a deal in the works to keep non-profit, non-cash medical marijuana operations open.

However, the true motivations of the delay may be more sinister. The L.A. Weekly believes that the delay may be a tactic to put the issue out of the spotlight.

"But City Council delays like this are all too common on controversial and heavily opposed items. By constantly putting off a final vote, politicians are able to wear protesters down and whittle the crowd to a devoted (and often loony) few," the L.A. Weekly's Simone Wilson wrote.

Wilson quotes dispensary owner Matt Hammer saying, "I can't tell you how many times since 2006 that something was going to come before the council, and then we find out it's not going to happen."