cannabisnews.com: Hayward Sees Growth in Pot Dispensaries Hayward Sees Growth in Pot Dispensaries Posted by CN Staff on February 17, 2003 at 06:27:31 PT By Michelle Meyers, Staff Writer Source: Oakland Tribune A sprouting hub of medical marijuana dispensaries has some people calling the downtown area "Haysterdam," a hybrid of Hayward and Amsterdam -- the Dutch city known for its drug tolerance. Within just a couple of blocks, there are three businesses dispensing medical marijuana, and two are proposed for the future. "Hayward is the first stop for people coming from the Peninsula and Santa Clara County," said Phillip Mol, owner of Helping Hands Patients' Center on B Street, adding that patients stop in Hayward instead of traveling to Oakland for marijuana. News of the latest proposed dispensary buzzed last week among downtown business owners as they received notification from the city about a use permit under consideration for Total Hayward Compassion, proposed at a site on B Street between Main Street and Mission Boulevard. Business owners surveyed by the Chamber of Commerce said they opposed the dispensary because they did not think it meshed with ongoing efforts to upgrade B Street, which is slated for a $3 million facelift beginning this month. "The debate isn't about whether the use of medical marijuana is appropriate," said Chamber President Scott Raty. "This type of business is very inconsistent with goals for revitalizing downtown." "We want foot traffic, but not that kind of foot traffic," added Steve Rubiolo, whose photography studio is just below Helping Hands. "The proposed use is flawed and dangerous. It would not attract shoppers downtown. It would encourage questionable activity at all hours of the day and night." Kenny Vargas, who would run Total Hayward Compassion, appears to be the first owner to be frank with the city about his business plans, city officials said. He proposes a medical clinic on the first and second floors of the building, with hemp products also for sale on the first floor. The top level would be a residence. Use permits are required downtown for first-floor medical clinics. Although a planning official could rule on the permit, it likely will go before the Planning Commission because of its controversial nature. "I purposely wanted to be upfront about my intentions to help people in need," he said. "It would be a great benefit to the community if the city embraces it. I plan to see 300 patients a month." Owners of another proposed new dispensary on Main Street between A and B streets, who did not want their names used until plans were more settled, said they want to mix a dispensary with a coffee shop, open to the public. They have a lease on their building but haven't yet applied for a business license. The existing dispensaries -- Hayward Hempery and Local Patients Cooperative, both on Foothill Boulevard near the intersection with B Street, and Helping Hands -- have business licenses. But the nature of the business listed on their licenses ranges from sales and services to retail sales to consultant, with no mention of marijuana. So the city has no official record of these businesses dispensing medical marijuana, which is legal under California law but illegal under federal law. The legal limbo makes it difficult for the city and police to come up with policies addressing the issue. "We don't get that many complaints," said police Capt. Raul Valdivia. "We feel it's probably better to deploy our energy and our resources in other directions." Even if arrests were made for possession of marijuana or related crimes, he added, it is not likely that the district attorney would prosecute. Several dispensary owners said they used to be affiliated with Hayward Hempery, which opened downtown more than a decade ago even before the passage of Proposition 215, which legalized marijuana for medicinal use in California. Mol, for example, left to open a better model with quality products and better prices. "I'm just trying to do a good thing and help people," he said, adding that he's disgusted by black-market prices and people who mix medical marijuana operations with hard drugs. None of the owners said they were concerned about competition, and they said the market likely will support the new operations, if they're well-run.Note: Three clinics have been operating quietly, and two more have applied for permits to open.Source: Oakland Tribune (CA)Author: Michelle Meyers, Staff Writer Published: Monday, February 17, 2003 Copyright: 2003 MediaNews Group, Inc. Contact: triblet angnewspapers.com Website: http://www.oaklandtribune.com/Medical Marijuana Information Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/medical.htmCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #2 posted by mayan on February 17, 2003 at 18:38:05 PT Questionable Activity "It would not attract shoppers downtown," said Steve Rubiolo, who has a photography studio below one dispensary. "It would encourage questionable activity at all hours of the day and night."Yeah, the dispensaries might encourage questionable activity such as cops harassing the sick and dying.The way out is the way in - THE CRIMES OF 9/11(Part II) http://www.scoop.co.nz/archive/scoop/stories/ed/f3/200302131156.4140ab57.htmlKaminski's Best 9/11 Sites - 4th Edition: http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0302/S00024.htm9/11 Prior Knowledge/Government Involvement Archive: http://www.propagandamatrix.com/archiveprior_knowledge9/11 Truth Alliance: http://unansweredquestions.org/alliance/index.html [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by FoM on February 17, 2003 at 16:56:56 PT News Brief from The Associated Press February 17, 2003HAYWARD, Calif. (AP) -- Hayward has three medical marijuana dispensaries within a couple of blocks of each other, and two more are planned for the downtown area. Some business owners are concerned about the effect on the area. "It would not attract shoppers downtown," said Steve Rubiolo, who has a photography studio below one dispensary. "It would encourage questionable activity at all hours of the day and night." Others said they thought the new businesses did not mesh with the planned upgrade to one of the streets that is slated for a $3 million face-lift. Police Capt. Raul Valdivia said the department does not get many complaints about the establishments. "We feel it's probably better to deploy our energy and our resources in other directions," he said. The owners of the operations said they were not worried about competition because the market will likely support all the dispensaries. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment