LAKEPORT, Calif. – The county is moving forward with closing down medical marijuana dispensaries, with the Board of Supervisors voting this week to abate two of the establishments.

Last August the county passed an ordinance to govern medical marijuana dispensaries, but rescinded the document two months later after a referendum challenging the ordinance gathered enough signatures for the June ballot, as Lake County News has reported.

The county’s position is that dispensaries are not specifically allowed under the Lake County Zoning Ordinance, and therefore cannot operate.

On Tuesday Community Development Director Rick Coel took to the board proposed abatement actions on Alternative Solutions in Clearlake Oaks and Triple C Collective in Kelseyville.

The board voted to abate both establishments, which were unresponsive to the county’s communications, Coel said.

Coel told Lake County News this week that Triple C Collective already has shut down, although Alternative Solutions’ doors remain open.

He said those two dispensaries were taken to the board first because they were generating the most community complaints.

If Alternative Solutions does not close by Jan. 20, Coel said the county will take additional steps, including placing liens on the property for the costs to shut the dispensary down.

Since the board directed staff to shutter the dispensaries late last years, some have closed voluntarily, including The Patients Choice in Upper Lake, A New Day Herbal Center in Clearlake Oaks and Natural Solutions in Middletown, Coel said.

Coel said Good Karma in Lucerne and H2C in Middletown are in the process of shutting down.

Others, liked the Green Leaf Collective in Lucerne and Visions of Avatar in Lakeport are converting to retail stores with no marijuana sales, according to Coel.

Peggy Dimauro of Visions of Avatar told Lake County News in a previous interview that she was going to convert to retail only after receiving a notice of violation from Community Development.

Coel said he will confirm by week’s end if he’ll need to send out notices to other dispensaries to bring them before the board for abatement.

“I can’t pick and choose,” Coel said. “They all have to close or change business.”

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