Los Angeles’ anti-medical marijuana crusade, which will force 762 legal dispensaries to shutter their doors on September 6, was the product of a number of voices, but none more zealous than LA City Attorney Carmen Trutanich and Councilman Jose Huizar. Trutanich, who cannot draft legislation, joined forces with Huizar to create the dispensary shutdown measure.

Granted, California’s medical marijuana laws were vague in the realm of distribution, and certain individuals have clearly moved into the city to legally “deal” pot, but that is no reason to enforce a wholesale shutdown of medical marijuana dispensaries. With all the medical marijuana prescriptions, how else are patients to get the marijuana? Prescription drugs, which are highly addictive and deadly, will once again be easier to obtain than marijuana, which is harmless by comparison. It would also cause a hit to the economy. Indeed, to borrow a common GOP phrase, the ban is a “jobs killer.”

Trutanich originally had the support of the medical marijuana community—that is, from the original dispensaries that grew out of the 1996 medical marijuana legislation. Once he was elected to office, however, Trutanich did an about face.

“We are willing to keep working with them, but they won’t work with us,” said dispensary owner Yamileth Bolanos. “We campaigned for him. But as soon as he was in, he turned his back on us.”

Trutanich’s about-face is of course not unique in the annals of politics. He has been quite good at making a name for himself. At the time of the ban, Trutanich was running for Los Angeles Country District Attorney, and his efforts against protesters, illegal billboards and marijuana dispensaries raised his profile and furthered his cause, although he ultimately lost the race. The dispensary ban is more likely a step in a personal goal than a civic necessity.

The colossal dickhead even tried to put “Los Angeles chief prosecutor” on the 2012 election ballot but was rebuffed by a judge, who called the action “misleading.”

“This guy is a pathological liar,” said political strategist, John Thomas, after the court hearing. “Now we have a judge who is agreeing with us.”

Trutanich also promised to run a full page ad in the Los Angeles Times if he failed to run for a second city prosecutor term before running for higher office. He said the ad would include a large photo of himself with the text ”I AM A LIAR” in large block print. Trutanich also claimed his “Tru Stories” YouTube video, in which retired district attorney’s Senior Investigator Jim Bell said Trutanich was calm under gang gunfire three decades ago, had gone viral when he had in fact paid Internet companies to produce the page views.

How Huizar could team up with such a self-promoting, truth-bending politician as Trutanich is astonishing; unless one concludes that Huizar, like many politicians, is a self-promoting, truth bending politician as well. Huizar, Trutanich, a priest, a drug counselor and a young mother with a baby carriage managed to create the anti-dispensary hysteria leading to the ban. The young mother, Jennifer Moran, didn’t like walking through clouds of marijuana smoke in her East Hollywood neighborhood.

Shame on Huizar for thinking that he and a few other anti-medical marijuana activists speak for LA’s citizens, then teaming up with Trutanich. Huizar’s political star will surely be on the rise now.

[Image: Edward Headington]