Since California voters approved a medical marijuana (search) law in 1996, federal authorities say the situation has gotten out of hand.
Patients who wanted to buy pot to treat their ailments needed a doctor's recommendation. But there were very few restrictions on opening a "cannabis club."
That the law had no zoning or licensing rules allowed one club to pop up just two blocks from an Hacienda Heights (search) middle school. Such incidents had many in the community calling for a crackdown.
"As strange as it sounds, the county has no regulations on this kind of office or this kind of business, so technically you could just open it up," said resident Michael Williams.
Responding to other concerned residents, officials in the bedroom community quickly passed a moratorium on any new cannabis clubs opening.
Perhaps surprisingly, many pot club owners supported the idea.
"As far as things like cannabis clubs should be so far apart from each other, I'm fine with that, as well as being such-and-such distance from schools, different things where children congregate," said Jason Beck, owner of a cannabis club.
Meanwhile, federal authorities are taking a harsher stance on the whole issue of medical marijuana.
Just last week a federal raid resulted in 19 people being indicted for allegedly running an international drug ring out of several San Francisco pot clubs. That came after the U.S. Supreme Court (search) ruled the federal government has the right to prosecute those who buy and sell marijuana, regardless of doctors' prescriptions.
At least six California cities, including Fresno, have banned pot clubs from opening.
Click on the video box near the top of the story to watch a report by FOX News' Anita Vogel.
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