The city of Los Angeles says that only 41 medical marijuana dispensaries can stay open due to a city ordinance. Following this, letters have been sent out to 129 clinics notifying them that they may be closed down.

The office of the city attorney says that it expects a slew of lawsuits after Wednesday’s announcement and will file a countersuit asking a judge to determine the fact that the processes of the city in interpreting the law were suitable.

Almost 30 lawsuits have already been filed challenging the procedure which the City Council has adopted on January 26th to limit the number of dispensaries.

Jane Usher, a special assistant city attorney, told the Los Angeles Times, “We're trying to be proactive.” She added that the small number of eligible dispensaries was “a surprise.”

Most of the dispensaries that have filed lawsuits are among more than 400 that were ordered to shut down. Several hundred dispensaries appeared across the city when officials failed to enforce a 2007 moratorium on medical pot clinics.