Court orders South Whittier marijuana dispensary near mosque to close

A judge has ordered the closing of a South Whittier marijuana dispensary, which attracted complaints from a nearby La Mirada mosque.

The Tuesday Los Angeles County Superior Court ruling will stand until there is a trial.

Judge Holly Fujie ordered property owner Edward Lee to no longer lease to “The Plug – La Mirada,” which has been operating out of a former Conroy’s Flowers shop at 14203 Imperial Highway since March, according to her tentative ruling issued on Tuesday.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn’s office sought the injunction at the request of La Mirada Masjid, a mosque located 200 feet away.

“This is an unlicensed, unlawful cannabis dispensary that has been operating in a community that doesn’t want it,” Hahn said in an emailed statement.

“I appreciate the judge for approving today’s injunction,” she said. “It is the first step to getting this dispensary closed for good. While shutting down unlicensed cannabis facilities has proven to be difficult, my office has made addressing this particular dispensary a priority because of its impact on the La Mirada Masjid.”

A man who answered the phone at The Plug on Tuesday afternoon refused to comment.

News of the ruling was received well, D.M. Rezaur Rahman, president of La Mirada Masjid, said in a Tuesday telephone interview.

“We don’t want to expose our kids to it, so they won’t be interested in marijuana,” Rahman said. “According to our religious belief, we don’t want any thing that will be addictive.”

The dispensary is so close to the mosque that sometimes its customers would park in La Mirada Masjid’s parking lot, he said.

The county’s current ordinance bans all cannabis businesses and activities in unincorporated areas.

In May, county officials filed a motion for preliminary injunction to temporarily halt the dispensary from operating until the matter can be brought to trial.

Sheriff’s deputies still must serve the order to The Plug – La Mirada to cease operating at this location or any other location in unincorporated Los Angeles County until a trial on the merits, which should take place later this year, according to a news release.