Whether cities such as Benicia can ban medical marijuana dispensaries will be the topic of a high-stakes court hearing.
On Tuesday, the California Supreme Court will hear arguments on whether communities can prohibit these marijuana facilities in light of the 1996 voter-approved law legalizing pot for medicinal uses in California.
As detailed in a San Jose Mercury News story, the hearing stems from a Southern California case where a wellness center sued to overturn Riverside's ban on marijuana dispenaries.
Benicia is one of 21 East Bay cities that have some sort of prohibition in place. It adopted its prohibition in 2011.
The Alameda County cities with bans are Dublin, Emeryville, Fremont, Hayward, Livermore, Newark and Pleasanton.
The Contra Costa County cities with bans are Antioch, Brentwood, Concord, Danville, Hercules, Lafayette, Moraga, Oakley, Pinole, Pittsburg and San Pablo.
