WEST HOLLYWOOD— On August 3, West Hollywood’s City Council will weigh a proposal banning the use of cannabis in apartment buildings. City Council will meet on Monday and decide whether to put the ban in place. The ban would start a register of all the apartment units in West Hollywood and their smoking status. The ban has garnered some pushback from cannabis advocates.

The ban would affect all common areas within condos and apartment buildings. It would also prohibit smoking in parks. The ban proposal was initiated introduced in 2017 by the Rent Stabilization Commission.

CNORML, a nonprofit cannabis advocacy organization, has urged West Hollywood locals to take action and contact City Council about the ban. CNORML has stated that cannabis should not be treated like tobacco, as tobacco has no medical advantage, unlike cannabis, which does. CNORML says that confusing tobacco with marijuana would be a mistake because it does not pose the same cancer risk as tobacco either.

City Councilmen John Duran, a cannabis advocate, has questioned the ban’s integrity and effectiveness as well. Duran has expressed concern about the impact the ban could have on West Hollywood and its values. As of right now, the state of California considers Cannabis deposits to be an essential business and are allowed to remain open during the pandemic.

The assembly will take place on Monday, August 3, over a video conference. It can be seen through a smartphone or laptop as well as a TV. These are the links to watch the meeting: www.weho.org/wehotv and on YouTube at www.youtube.com/wehotv. Any questions regarding the topic and directed towards the council must be submitted by 4 p.m. Monday, August 3. Here is the link for the comment form: https://www.weho.org/city-government/city-council/council-agendas