Stunned by the spread of medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles, the City Council moved Tuesday to close a loophole that had encouraged their rapid growth.

The council also rejected a dozen applications from dispensaries that sought permission to operate despite the city’s moratorium and prepared to extend the ban for six months beyond its expiration in September.

And a council committee unveiled a revamped proposal for a comprehensive ordinance to replace the moratorium. When the city adopted the moratorium in 2007, it allowed 186 dispensaries to stay open. Now there are 600 or more.

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