L.A. City Attorney Seeks to Extinguish Marijuana Delivery App

Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer filed court papers today, seeking to close a medical marijuana delivery service aided by a smartphone app.

Feuer wants a Superior Court judge to issue a cease-and-desist order that would stop Nestdrop LLC from delivering pot, contending that it is doing business unlawfully and circumventing Proposition D, which limited the number of medical pot dispensaries in the city.

Nestdrop representatives declined to comment on the lawsuit.

"Proposition D is very clear. There is no lawful delivery service under Prop D. It is not a permitted way for doing business," Feuer said. "The combination of cash and a controlled substance at a given site is a potentially volatile combination."

Only a patient or a caregiver is allowed to delivery medical marijuana under Proposition D, Feuer said.

Nestdrop, also used for alcohol deliveries, announced in October that it planned to expand into medical marijuana delivery. That started in mid-November, he said.

The City Attorney's Office is responsible for enforcing Proposition D, which Feuer said "strikes a balance" between restricting the operation of marijuana shops. About 100 dispensaries that registered with city officials are exempted so that city law conforms to state law.

Since Proposition D took effect 17 months ago, attorneys for the city have closed 402 unlawful medical marijuana dispensaries, which amounts to about half of known illegal dispensaries citywide, Feuer said.