The Los Angeles City Council agreed Tuesday to limit the number of medical-marijuana dispensaries in the city to 70, a move that could dramatically scale back the hundreds that have cropped up here. The council still must vote on the ordinance to regulate dispensaries, which is expected to include a host of other restrictions.

When the state passed a law allowing for medical-marijuana cooperatives in 2004, Los Angeles never set forth guidelines for how they should operate. That led to the rampant growth of dispensaries: The number in the city is estimated at 1,000, making medical marijuana one of the city's fastest-growing industries.

As more dispensaries opened, police, city officials and residents complained that many were illegal cash businesses that had little to do with medical care. The city decided to crack down.

"Today we took the first step in regaining the trust of the residents of Los Angeles by protecting the integrity and safety of our communities while...offering medical marijuana to those who truly need it," Councilman José Huizar said in an emailed statement Tuesday evening.

The council also mandated a 1,000-foot buffer between medical dispensaries and residential-use areas. On Tuesday night, the council was still debating additional measures to regulate and restrict the locations and concentration of dispensaries. The council still must hold a final vote on the full ordinance once it has finished making changes to it.

Despite the cap, more than 70 dispensaries could be allowed to remain open if they meet the new guidelines. Tuesday night's decision gave preference to 137 dispensaries that had registered with the city early on. Those dispensaries would have 180 days to comply with the new regulations, but many of them are expected to close.

It was unclear Tuesday night when the new regulations would take effect.

Medical-marijuana advocates said they were against "arbitrary caps" on the number of dispensaries, but said the new regulations proved that it is possible to regulate medical marijuana on a large scale.

"This is a huge milestone. It definitely sends a message to the rest of the county that the second-largest city in the nation has recognized the need for legal distribution," said Kris Hermes, a spokesman for Americans for Safe Access, a medical-marijuana advocacy group.

Write to Tamara Audi at