The Studio City Neighborhood Council rejected an attempt to pass a "gentle ban" on the medical marijuana dispensaries in the area.

Patch.com reports the council's vice president, Lisa Sarkin, called a special meeting to pass the measure in response to complaints against the collectives. Sarkin said, "I went to college in the '60s, I know what pot smells like."

Despite Sarkin's expertise in drug control policy, the LAPD reported no increased criminal activity around the dispensaries. Richard Adams, chairman of the organization's  crime and safety committee, spoke out against the measure and urged the council to respect the wishes of voters who legalized medical marijuana.

Denise Welvang, a board member and pharmacist, remarked, "I do not want to regulate this so that our pharmacy has to sell this. I worked in hospice and saw what people had to do to get this, it was not nice. Give these people a chance to do what they need to do."

Sarkin's proposal was voted down 5-4, with one abstention from the council president, John Walker.