cannabisnews.com: Hayward Council To Review Medical Pot Dispensaries Hayward Council To Review Medical Pot Dispensaries Posted by CN Staff on March 19, 2003 at 08:06:07 PT By Michelle Meyers, Staff Writer Source: Oakland Tribune Hayward -- The City Council agreed Tuesday night to consider sanctioning medical marijuana dispensaries at its next meeting. The council didn't express explicit support for the three existing downtown dispensaries and appeared wary of the legal complications involved in allowing them to stay. "This is a start," said Phillip Mol, owner of Helping Hands Patients' Center, a B Street dispensary. City officials recently notified the three existing dispensaries -- Helping Hands, Local Patients Cooperative and the Hayward Hempery -- that they are breaking Hayward's zoning law, which doesn't allow for marijuana dispensing. The council could amend the law in the spirit of Proposition 215, which made the plant legal in California for medicinal uses. Cities such as San Francisco and Fairfax have already done so. But that could also put Hayward in conflict with the federal government, which considers pot illegal. Although formal votes aren't taken at the council's afternoon work sessions, all but one of the six members present Tuesday wanted to put the item on next Tuesday night's agenda for formal discussion. They almost formed an ad hoc committee to first research the issue. But City Manager Jesus Armas said that would go beyond the scope of their task at hand, which was to decide whether to "agendize" the issue. Councilman Joe Hilson objected to any further talk of a creating a law that would encourage the violation of federal law. "When I became a city councilor, I took an oath to uphold the laws of this land," he said. Councilman Olden Henson, who was in quest of more information on how the dispensaries work, said he had no problem challenging a federal law. "There were federal laws on the books would have not allowed me to be here right now," said Henson, who is black. "I just want to know more about it." Councilman Kevin Dowling brought the issue up to the council after dispensary owners asked the city to develop regulations to authorize their business. Dowling, who toured the facilities last week, said he'd like to see the dispensaries, police, business people and other community members come together to work something out. The dispensaries downtown aren't new -- they had been operating quietly under business licenses for vague services such as sales and consulting, with no mention of pot. Their profile was raised, however, after a story last month about a potentially growing hub of dispensaries. The city had received an application for a use permit to operate a new B Street dispensary, and another coffee shop-dispensary was rumored on the way. The city ended up denying the new application because of the zoning violation and sent letters to the other three dispensaries, stating that they were violating the code, and must cease dispensing or else be subject to fines. A member of the city's Community Preservation staff inspected the facilities and issued warnings. But any further punishment probably will be suspended until the council decides how to handle the political issue, city officials said. Hayward resident Stacy Fernandez, one of several people who testified before the council in favor of the dispensaries, said she would be upset to see them go. Marijuana is the only thing Fernandez can take to relieve the symptoms of lupus, she said. For 20 years, she weighed just 76 pounds. Now she weighs 125 pounds, she said. "How thankful I am for Hayward and its beauty and its compassion," she said. Bill Drury, opinion editor for Chabot College's Spectator student newspaper, said pot is the only thing that helps his irritable bowel syndrome, a condition that resulted from a prior bout with cancer. "I got robbed in Oakland. I don't want to go to Oakland," he said. "I shop here. I live here. I go to school here." Other speakers included Mike Alclay, medical director of the Oakland Cannabis Buyers Cooperative, and Jane Weirick, a Hayward resident and president of the state's Medical Cannabis Association. No one spoke Tuesday in opposition to the clubs. Note: Purveyors had been alerted that laws don't allow for marijuana distribution. Next Tuesday's meeting will begin at 8 p.m. in Council Chambers at City Hall, 777 B St.Source: Oakland Tribune (CA)Author: Michelle Meyers, Staff WriterPublished: Wednesday, March 19, 2003Copyright: 2003 MediaNews Group, Inc. Contact: triblet angnewspapers.com Website: http://www.oaklandtribune.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:OCBChttp://www.rxcbc.org/Medical Marijuana Information Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/medical.htmPot Issue Opens Pandora's Boxhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15716.shtmlHayward Sees Growth in Pot Dispensarieshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15496.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #2 posted by FoM on March 19, 2003 at 13:13:57 PT afterburner I don't know if they are open meetings. I looked for a link to a web site but couldn't find one. If there is an associated web site and someone knows please post it and I'll bookmark it. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by afterburner on March 19, 2003 at 13:07:26 PT: Are These Council Meetings Open to the Public? Next Tuesday's meeting will begin at 8 p.m. in Council Chambers at City Hall, 777 B St.[, Hayward, California]If you are in the area, especially if you are a medical cannabis patient, be there. Support the medical cannabis gardeners and dispensaries. "When I became a city councilor, I took an oath to uphold the laws of this land," [Joe Hilson] said.Does your oath not include upholding the laws of the State of California and the US Constitution, Councilor Hilson?ego destruction or ego transcendence, that is the question. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment