About a dozen medical marijuana dispensaries could begin opening their doors as early as July under a new law enacted by Long Beach voters in the fall.

Those on the cusp of receiving final approval from the city include a list of priority applicants, comprised of former medical marijuana business owners who received city permits in a 2010 lottery, only to have them later revoked when the city reversed legalization and banned all such businesses.

Last year, members of that same group drafted a local ballot measure, adopted in November, that repealed the ban on medical marijuana businesses and created safeguards for their existence. Part of the language in the measure required the city give those lottery winners priority status.

Nearly 200 prospects applied to operate a dispensary, according to a memo from the city manager’s office, though only 16 were considered priority applicants. Fourteen of the 16 are now in the final stages of the process, and could be given the green light to begin construction in the next month or two.

The city has begun scoring the non-priority applicants to determine which ones could be awarded licenses; a total of 32 are available citywide.

If there are any tied scores, the city will hold a public lottery in September to determine the winners, officials said.

New enforcement tools

Also this week, the City Council adopted an ordinance that broadens enforcement tools for law enforcement and city officials to crack down on illegal marijuana businesses, which are expected to start popping up with the passage of the local medical marijuana and statewide recreational marijuana legalization measures.

One of the new tools could allow for almost immediate penalties on illegal operators by permitting the city to sever utilities to the property owner and the business, after providing notice of the impending action.

As of May 1, people interested in marijuana cultivation or laboratory testing may submit applications to the city. Decisions on those business types will likely be made later this year and early next year, according to a staff report.

For more information, visit the city website portal on marijuana business licenses at www.longbeach.gov.