Jerry Brown Vetoes Pot Shop Bill

When California Governor Jerry Brown warned legislators that they would soon be "singing the veto blues," he wasn't kidding.

Moonbeam has put the brakes on scores of measures that have reached his desk since state lawmakers finished their yearly session earlier this month, from laws that would require children to wear ski helmets to initiatives that would reform California's adult day care program.

And now, pot proponents have something to smile about: Last week, Brown squashed a bill that would have prevented medical marijuana dispensaries from operating within 600 feet of homes.

In his veto message, the governor explained that the measure encroaches on the authority of local jurisdictions, which already have the power to regulate their neighborhood pot spots, the Sacramento Business Journal reported. "Decisions of this kind are best made in cities and counties," he said. "Not the state Capitol."

Senator Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana), who sponsored the bill, told the Los Angeles Times that he's "disappointed for the community."

"All we were talking about is taking a buffer zone already in the law to keep second-hand pot smoke away from children at schools and extending it to keeping it away from residences," he said.

Keeping it away from residences? We can't help but wonder if Correa has ever been to San Francisco.