The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals recently upheld the denial of a request to stop the California cities of Lake Forest and Costa Mesa from closing medical marijuana stores, according to a City of Lake Forest statement. In the original April 2011 decision, a federal judge denied a preliminary injunction to prevent Lake Forest from shutting down medical marijuana stores. The plaintiffs unsuccessfully argued that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) gives disabled citizens a federally protected right to use medical marijuana. The court found that the ADA does not apply because marijuana is a Schedule I controlled substance and that it currently has no federally recognized medical purpose.

To read the Lake Forest statement, click here.