By Ian Butler
In 1996, 56% of California voters approved Proposition 215, the “Compassionate Use Act”, which legalized medical Cannabis throughout the state.
15 years later, medical Cannabis is an established part of California life. Dispensaries across the state are safely providing Cannabis to patients, getting it off the streets and bringing in millions of dollars in tax revenue.
Yet there are no dispensaries in San Mateo County.
This severely limits access to patients with a legitimate medical need, while robbing our communities of precious revenues in a time of draconian budget cuts.
In 2009 San Mateo County passed regulations that discouraged medical Cannabis in non-incorporated areas, but those regulations don’t apply to the cities, which under Prop. 215 are able to craft their own policies.
Currently Colma, Half Moon Bay, South San Francisco, Millbrae, Brisbane, Daly City and San Bruno have outright bans in place, and the other cities either have no official policy or restrictive regulations, which add up to a complete lack of access throughout the county.
Meanwhile, in San Jose, 78% of the voters approved Measure U last November, taxing medical Cannabis and generating $290,000 for the city in the first month, and an estimated $3.5 million in the first year.
Obviously there is a tremendous demand in the region for medical Cannabis, and the city that can meet that demand will reap a tremendous windfall.
I believe Pacifica should be that city.
Last November Californians weighed in on Prop. 19 which would have legalized marijuana for adult use.
The measure failed, with 46.2% voting yes, but here in Pacifica, a whopping 59.13% of us voted in favor of legalizing marijuana for all adults.
The number of us who support medical Cannabis is far higher. Recently the Pacifica Tribune had an online poll asking readers their views on the subject, and only 17% were against both medical Cannabis and outright legalization, making it one of the most universally popular issues in the city.
But you’d never know it.
Unfortunately, after 60 years of Reefer Madness type hysteria, most marijuana users are still in the closet, afraid of losing their jobs or being branded as drug addicts. Even the protein smoothie I have every morning is made from hemp seeds that have to be imported from Canada, a telling remnant of our insane drug policy.
Yes there are serious problems associated with marijuana; it can influence the mental development of minors and affect long-term memory, among other things. But our laws against marijuana have been far more damaging than the drug itself, and most of us figured that out long ago.
We now know that Cannabis is a valuable treatment for many debilitating conditions, such as AIDS, cancer, glaucoma, ALS, MS, depression and arthritis. Often, due to limited mobility and other problems, it is the patients who need it most that have the most difficulty obtaining Cannabis.
The most common argument against medical Cannabis is that some people use it who don’t really need to, and that is no doubt true. But, with nearly 60% of us in favor of outright legalization, that argument is irrelevant here.
The pertinent question is whether it is better for Pacificans to get their legal medical Cannabis from San Francisco or for that money to stay here in town. To anyone who has been paying attention to our city’s financial woes the answer is obvious: we absolutely need that money, which could easily add up to millions of dollars.
Up until now it made sense for smaller cities to wait before jumping on the Cannabis bandwagon. The courts had to sort out the conflicts between Federal and State law, and only larger cities had the resources to do so. Also, Prop. 19 loomed on the horizon, threatening to throw a monkey wrench into whatever local regulations were enacted.
But now, with Prop 19 in the rear view mirror, drastic cuts being made in important city services and even more severe cuts on the way, the time to act is upon us.
It’s time for Pacifica to craft a reasonable policy that would allow and attract a well-run, compassionate dispensary, while safeguarding our community with reasonable limits, such as regulating proximity to schools. (Eureka Square might be a good location, next to the yoga studio, gun store and hydroponics shop.)
Eventually a ballot measure like San Jose’s could be considered, which collect an extra 5% to 10% tax for the city’s general fund. Such measures are extremely popular, and usually exceed the 2/3 majority vote needed to pass a tax increase.
Yes it’s controversial. A vocal minority will speak out against it. Even medical Cannabis supporters may not want a dispensary in their own neighborhood, but a strong majority of Pacificans are in favor of medical Cannabis. It could quickly bring significant revenue into our city, while providing safe access for those who need it most. It’s the practical thing to do, and it’s the right thing to do.
Submitted by Ian Butler
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42 comments:
Sorry, I, for one, wont vote for it.
Do you think there would be a need for weed in Pacifica???
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeEJYzV_DpY
It would help our restaurants and grocery stores.
"It would help our restaurants and grocery stores." Hard comment to follow, Steve.
Although "weed" is perfect for our "recreation" economy, it may be noted in your article, Ian, that "currently Colma, Half Moon Bay, South San Francisco, Millbrae, Brisbane, Daly City and San Bruno have outright bans in place..." Maybe there is a reason for that???
"Sorry, I, for one, wont vote for it".
Pretty funny. A no vote from someone named anonymous.
I'll match my anonymous yes to your anonymous no and bingo we got nothin'.
Oh damn, this must be Pacifica!
I'll vote yes for a cannabis dispensary in Pacifica provided it follows the "take out" only provision comments stated by Todd Bray in his prior article. And, the city should review and mitigate reasons nearby cities have rejected cannabis dispensaries.
Some people with chronic and end-life pain do benefit from medical marijuana, and having a better, legal substance control could be beneficial to these patients. Without such a dispensary is illegal marijuana grown and smoked in Pacifica? Sure it is.
I voted no on the CA cannabis measure last year, but with further reflection believe such a medical marijuana dispensary might be worth trying as a business in this city. There is tax revenue, and the City of San Jose is currently profiting from these dispensaries.
Then let their doctor prescribe it, like what doctors are supposed to do. They are already putting it in pill form. I dont understand, democrats go after cigarette companies, ban smoking everywhere, but want marijuana dispenseries in every town. Have you visited one? Maybe you need to. It only attacts gangs and violence, robberies, and roaches are thrown everywhere. Stinks. Something that is not being reported on lame tv. If you want a medical card , go to the city to get your stuff. Keep it out of suburbia.
Anon (250), thanks for the information, but this is not a "Democrat" issue (its a human medical issue).
Apparently the Marinol pill is met with mixed reviews. Example, from the CBS 11/9/09 article:
"Ken Trainer, a 60-year-old Massachusetts resident who has battled Multiple Sclerosis for 25 years, said he has long been smoking marijuana to deal with the regular tremors he gets in his arms and legs. "If I smoke a joint, the tremors go away most times before the joint is gone," he said. "It makes my life a little easier." Marinol, by contrast, "didn't really do much of anything for me," he said.
56-year-old Des Moines resident Jeff Elton, who was diagnosed with gastroparesis six years ago, had a similar experience when he was prescribed Marinol to deal with his chronic nausea and vomiting. "I felt no relief, I didn't feel ill, I felt nothing," he said. "It might as well be M&M's." Elton said he switched to marijuana, which he smokes through a vaporizer - a device that heats the active ingredients into a vapor instead of burning them. He said it allows him to keep down his food and regain some of the weight he lost while on Marinol."
If there is no club lounge associated with the dispensary (Todd's suggestion), I'm not sure why gangs would target the location any more than at a pharmacy where there are even more potent drugs.
And, these cannabis dispensaries do not exist in every town; according to Ian's article they may not exist at this time in San Mateo County. Since there seems to be an ongoing economic development gap in Pacifica, a cannabis dispensary could be a money maker, just as several of these are in San Jose.
And another thought, if this city can have a gun shop, why not a cannabis dispensary? Anon, considerations of what is "lame" is really relative isn't it?
San Francisco banned all sales of tobacco. But, San Francisco allows everyone to smoke marijuana. How does this make sense to ANYONE?! Dont give the medicinal line, its the marijuana cigarette that is most widely used, 100%. Is it because the farms are hand picked by government? Tobacco Industry is private. I see it as a govenment trying to take over a industry and making lame excuses. Government wants you doped up so you dont care if you lose your job or not, while making you pay for marijuana when you can grow it yourself for free. Another scam.
Kathy, you also need to keep up on the news. Most marijuana dispenseries end up in drug cartel hands. Fer Chriisakes, no what you are talking about. People in pacifica are so naive.
"...most marijuana dispensaries end up in drug cartel hands."
Really? Then, Anon (846,848) why has the opposite been reported? "Legalize marijuana to stop the drug cartels".
The underlying issue: relieving pain and providing better quality of life for some forms of human disabilities. See the Disable World.
Growing marijuana for medical use should be carefully regulated (licensed with oversight), so that irregularities do not occur-- and that is the case. These are private industry producer businesses, and not the same as government growing "weed". Example issue, Associated press article.
Tobacco grown by private industry has FDA regulation and oversight, signed into law 6/25/2009.
As for "the government wants you to doped up", using your words, that is a "lame excuse". Working brings-in tax revenue through people paying earned-income and sales taxes. By now, 10+ years later, you would think those extreme Bush tax cuts for the most wealthy would be kicking-in, business should be thriving. But, oops it only took 8 years and inadequate regulation to produce most serious recession this country has experience in 80 years.
Anon 8:48, can you cite any news report about "Most marijuana dispenseries end up in drug cartel hands"? If not, your challenge to Kathy to "keep up on the news" is bogus.
"If we think it it must be true".
You can also buy tobacco in SF. Anon@8:46 needs to stop drinking the Crazy Juice.
San Francisco did ban the sale of cigarettes in drug stores, but you can get them at any corner store or supermarket. They also have restrictions on where you can smoke, but these are common sense laws to minimize second hand smoke - a legitimate health hazard.
Each year, smoking kills nearly half a million Americans, more than AIDS, alcohol, drug abuse, car crashes, murders, suicides, and fires---combined! (Notice that drug abuse is on that list.)
Alcohol kills about 100,000 each year, prescription drugs kills another 100,000 and guns about 40,000.
In contrast, marijuana is relatively safe. There are no no known cases of deaths by marijuana overdose, although 4 deaths are attributed to Marinol. Some car accidents are no doubt due to marijuana intoxication, but nothing close to alcohol.
Yet an adult can buy cigarettes, alcohol, guns or prescription drugs legally in Pacifica, but not medical Cannabis.
And, here is a quick wiki answer regarding the banning of marijuna in the USA in 1937, in California 1913 "promoted by the pharmaceutical industry that saw marijuana as a competitor."
Trust me, I have no personal interest in any of this, but I see the no reason to exclude a cannabis dispensary from this city. And, the additional city tax revenue would help fund the city.
Marijuana is huge in Pacifica already. the only thing we are not doing is making any public money off of it, but we have all the public expense.
keep the public out of private personal business.
just dont say you werent warned.
Anon@11, I would trust Harold Camping more than someone who posts anonymous predictions and drinks Crazy Juice.
At least with Harold Camping the world ended-twice, based upon a self-ascribed allegory calculation. Who knows what Anon (1100) is talking about, and with what reasoning.
I think you are all on dope!!
Here is an interesting article about dispensaries in the Mission:
http://missionlocal.org/2011/06/a-guide-to-mission-marijuana/
It mentions that one dispensary has 400 customers a day. That's 146,000 a year. If they each spend $100 that's over $14 million a year. A 10% tax on that would bring in $1.4 million in revenue a year! That's a best case scenario, but even one tenth that amount would have a significant impact on our city's finances.
Ian, the SF mission is not so far to travel to, but Pacifica generally has better parking. How can this suggestion move forward, and will the city be receptive, got ideas?
With the government debt and all, those revenues from the mission can drop. Most of that money used to purchase the dope is welfare money. Welfare recipients get medical marijuana cards. Remember, if you have a good job you really arent hanging around a dope store. A trend- 18yr olds holding medical marijuana cards, due to "high anxiety". I say , get a job that way you dont have time to sit around with idle hands. Also, the mission dispenseries has a history of gang involvement. They were just on the news recently.
"Most of that money used to purchase the dope is welfare money."
Anon (1120), SOME OF US DON'T BELIEVE YOU. Really present SOMETHING factually rational that supports your findings.
Kathy- "Ian... How can this suggestion move forward, and will the city be receptive, got ideas?"
I plan to address the council at their next meeting, and will have a Wavelength episode on the topic next month.
It would also be a good idea to form a group of people who for various reasons would like to see this move forward.
Anyone interested in working on this can email me at ianbutler@netzero.net. Kathy, based on your comments here, you would be a valuable asset.
I believe that of all the ideas suggested to bring in revenue: outlet malls, card clubs, biodiesel refineries, housing developments or taxes, this one may have the best shot of bringing in the most revenue the quickest.
Ian, I support what you're doing. This is just another medical related business with tax revenue. We'll talk further by e-mail.
Ian, ever business requires start up $$
Not enough start up money and the business will not make it past the first year..
"Tooth Fairy" just because your business has no profit and a fair amount of green waste, your multi-century expectations of "first year" or any year profit may be in error.
Generally small businesses plan for their start-up costs, and possible lagging profits for the first few years.
I'd love to work the counter. Count me in.
Todd, off topic question. Your graphics are fun and quite good. I know you some of the mural work you have done (library, beach, signs), but keep wondering if some of the restaurant walls are also your work-- and are these independent graphics part of your occupation?
If the Quarry would or could become a legal pot farm would Pacifica reap a windfall of redevelopment tax benefits?
Just thinking out loud.
Now there's a plan that would make our IMBY friends happy!
if it aint being taxed, Kathy Meeh and her dopey friends will find a way to tax it. Just follow her comments. She is tax happy, and a democrat.
Kathy, the two murals and wall glazing at the Library are mine. I designed the architectural details that decorate the two pump stations at Linda Mar and Chris Porter had me do a flora-bunda rose arrangement to highlight her street address over her garage, I've done some sign work for Tait and of course Leo and Sue, that's it for work I've done in town,
The new mural at La Playa is done in house. Kevin the owner painted the beautiful giant flowers which I freakin' love. The mural at the crepe place is done by a local also I believe.
Friend me on FB and I have a couple of photo albums you can view which has a very small cross section of my work. I like to create and I can fabricate/make what I can dream up.
I specialize in painted finishes like wood grain and marble. A lot of non movie work I get is tying in older construction that is simply painted to new remodeling so that means when someone has a new mahogany library put in I paint all the existing details like doors and windows to match the wood/stone/marble... whatever.
I also create theme-d rooms.
"She is tax happy, and a democrat."
Can't follow the article huh? Anon, then why did I vote against Measure D, the TOT increase, the latest version of the Fire Tax-- I must be confused.
Nope, city council has refused significant economic development for the past 8+ years (and that's my broken record). What's left? The city is now beyond broke, and medical marijuana affords pain relief for some members of our human community.
Let's be clear about the city council that brought this city to its current state. Do vote out DeJarnatt, Digre, Vreeland even though its late and much structural damage has already been done.
True I'm a democrat. Currently being a Republican would be an intelligence embarrassment. But, be happy, there's a reason you're "Anonymous".
Thanks Todd, I'll plan to follow-up with FB if you'll invite me in. Thought that the La Playa work may have been yours, and wondered about High Tides restaurant as well. For some reason thought you were also involved with set-design, maybe that's the "movie work". Your Earth Day signs were terrific!
Put the medical marijuana dispensary next to the gun store in Eureka Square. Perfect!
And the hydroponic place is right there, too.
Too bad the cafe and the enchilada place at Eureka Square went poof, like a puff of pot. They would have seen their business increase drastically.
I don't agree with Ian on anything, but I always appreciate his attempts to keep the tone civil (except for the way that he sides with the WEI/CBD carpet-baggers regarding Sharp Park, but I digress).
This is one of the few exceptions where I agree with him completely and wholeheartedly.
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