cannabisnews.com: Hayward OKs Dispensaries Committee 





Hayward OKs Dispensaries Committee 
Posted by CN Staff on March 27, 2003 at 11:37:25 PT
By Michelle Meyers, Staff Writers
Source: Daily Review
The City Council on Tuesday night created an ad hoc committee on medicinal marijuana dispensaries that could put Hayward's slogan to the test. "Hayward calls itself 'The Heart of the Bay' mostly because of its geography," said Councilman Kevin Dowling. "But it also means that we are a compassionate place. We don't want to ask people who are sick to go out and buy marijuana on the street." After hours of testimony from 24 medical marijuana proponents, the council voted 5 to 2 in favor of establishing the committee, with councilmen Joe Hilson and Matt Jimenez in dissent. 
The five to seven member committee will include representatives from interested parties such as the police, medical marijuana patients, and business and faith communities. Its mission is to gather information and come up with ways to sanction the city's three existing dispensaries, now operating against Hayward's zoning code. "It will let us talk about compassion without lawbreaking," said Mayor Roberta Cooper. Compassion was a common theme for speakers, who thanked the council for showing enough compassion to explore the issue and also pleaded for its help. "All three clubs have a valuable purpose," said Paul Baerwald, a cancer survivor and former student of Cooper's. "Find compassion in your hearts to keep them open." The dispensaries aren't new. But their profile was raised last month after a story in The Daily Review about a proposed new dispensary. The city turned down the proposed new owner and notified the existing dispensary owners that they are in violation of the city's zoning law. That led one of the dispensary owners to ask the council to consider authorizing their existence. No one spoke Tuesday against the dispensaries, although the Hayward Chamber of Commerce had submitted a letter in opposition. Instead, speakers ranged from prominent Oakland experts and activists to everyday Hayward residents.Don Duncan, who represents an alliance of four Berkeley dispensaries, was one of several people to tell the council how the issue has been tackled successfully in other jurisdictions. The Berkeley dispensaries, for example, worked with the community to come up with a set of safety and operational protocols for their facilities, he said. Mike Alclay, medical director for the Oakland Cannabis Buyers Cooperative, described some of the science behind cannabis, which he described as "the most benign, innocuous medication on the planet." Xeno Rasmusson, an assistant professor in human development at Cal State Hayward, also testified to the benefits of cannabis, which he said helped his father retain his vision with glaucoma. Don Konecny, of Oakland, told the council that people still will need their medicine, even if Hayward doesn't sanction the dispensaries. "If you fail to govern it, it doesn't make the issue go away," he said. "It will just go unregulated." That runs counter to the efforts of Jeff Jones, executive director of the Oakland Cannabis Buyers Cooperative, which issues cards for patients with verified doctor's recommendations. "We're trying to keep patients out of the criminal justice system," he said. "We want you to be involved in what we're doing." Stephanie Rubasky, a Hayward hair stylist, said patients have been left in a gray area since the passage of Proposition 215, which legalized marijuana for medicinal uses in California even though it's considered illegal under federal law. "We, the people of Hayward, need you to help," she said. Bob Swanson of Castro Valley, who works for Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley, told the council a story of a man he and his wife cared for who was dying of brain cancer and was down to just 90 pounds. The Swansons decided to give their friend marijuana, and he gained 40 pounds in two weeks. "It not only made him eat, it made his days of waiting to die much more bearable," Swanson said. Jimenez and Hilson, who opposed forming the ad hoc committee, said they did so because they don't think it is Hayward's place to get between state and federal law. "It should be taken care of in the halls of Congress and the state Legislature," Hilson said. Jimenez added that if the dispensaries are allowed to stay, he wants them to charge sales tax. Councilman Olden Henson, who said he conducted his own crash course in medical marijuana this past week, emphasized that the committee should have no predetermined outcome. Henson added that he's not afraid of challenging a federal law. "I don't see federal law as unshakable. Some of it is atrocious," he said. "You wonder what they've been smoking. Certainly not medical marijuana." Jane Weirick, a Hayward resident and president of the California-based Medical Cannabis Association, said her fellow proponents were impressed by the council's willingness to listen. "We were encouraged that they were so open-minded about the issue," she said. "We've only scratched the surface. Now the real learning begins."Note: Group's mission is to gather data, come up with ways to sanction 3 existing sites.Michelle Meyers covers Hayward, Cherryland and Fairview. Source: Daily Review, The (CA)Author: Michelle Meyers, Staff WritersPublished: Thursday, March 27, 2003Copyright: 2003 MediaNews Group, Inc.Contact: revlet angnewspapers.comWebsite: http://www.dailyreviewonline.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:OCBChttp://www.rxcbc.org/Medical Marijuana Information Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/medical.htmPot Facilities in Hayward Highlight Viewpointhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15764.shtmlHayward Council To Review Pot Dispensarieshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15753.shtmlHayward Sees Growth in Pot Dispensarieshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15496.shtml 
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Comment #6 posted by FoM on April 15, 2003 at 10:32:35 PT
Debra
Thank you for your comment and I understand what you are saying.
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Comment #5 posted by debraparks on April 15, 2003 at 06:41:22 PT:
It's All In The Way You Say It
I wrote a letter (email) to the Mayor of Hayward, Robert Cooper. Not only did I receive an email back from her, but I also received a phone call from Doris Rodriquez, Mayor Pro Tem.Supposedly, Doris Rodriquez has been a "thorn in the paw" of the Hayward Medical Marijuana Clubs, but to me she was very receptive. She stated that my letter was EXACTLY what she had wanted to say at the March 25th City Council Meeting; that my letter was very eloquent (her words, not mine) and that she wished she had had my letter at the meeting.The REAL, UNDERLYING TRUTH is: Prop. 215 was passed by the voters. They gave us what we wanted, now they just want us to stop RAMMING IT DOWN THEIR THROATS. It disturbs "society" when the majority of people showing up and speaking up at Medical Marijuana Rallies are in their early twenties. Society is CONVINCED that Pot is a "Gateway" drug. This is what they SEE, this is what they HEAR, and this is what they are TOLD.Society is NOT ready for your "corner pot store". It is our RIGHT and our DUTY to maintain an acceptable level of discretion when dealing with the subject of Medical Marijuana Clubs, their location and the surrounding area which is effected.Society, however, IS READY to accept the fact that Medical Marijuana is necessary; that it is our RIGHT to have a safe and legal place to purchase it; and that WE as PATIENTS are willing to act responsibly in order to keep this privilige.
Hayward OKs Dispensaries Committee
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Comment #4 posted by FoM on March 27, 2003 at 13:22:12 PT
312
Instead of me posting them on CNews why don't you send them to Mapinc. since they have a broader news base they cover. I think that would be best.
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Comment #3 posted by 312 on March 27, 2003 at 13:03:40 PT
please post
Cannabis sold on streets is poisonhttp://www.inside-scotland.co.uk/renfrewshire/express/Review/canibxxxx.html.htmlAlso this story (couldn't get to proper link at Australian advertiser because you have to pay)No shelter to cannabis growersBy Political Reporter CATHERINE HOCKLEYFriday 28 March 2003HOME invasion victims who are growing cannabis on their properties will not be protected by new legislation giving householders more rights to defend themselves.The proposed self-defence legislation – foreshadowed by The Advertiser in January – will be introduced to Parliament on Monday.It allows householders to use "whatever force they deem necessary" to defend themselves against home invaders.Attorney-General Michael Atkinson said yesterday "an important proportion" of home invasions involved properties where cannabis was being grown.The law would not extend to drug growers who cultivated crops in their homes."Householders will not be entitled to the benefits of this law if their judgment is substantially impaired by drugs or alcohol or if they are involved in criminal conduct that may have given rise to the attack," Mr Atkinson said.Mr Atkinson said the legislation would "allow the occupants of a home to defend themselves and their property with a level of force they genuinely believe to be proportionate to the threat that they genuinely believe they face".Meanwhile, the Australian Democrats said a "bizarre media stunt" yesterday by Mr Atkinson had backfired.To draw public attention to the new legislation, Mr Atkinson visited home invasion victim Ms Barbara Portlock.He intended to demonstrate how householders could defend themselves.It was suggested that Ms Portlock had been keeping a frying pan under her bed to ward off any intruders. But Democrats MLC Ian Gilfillan said Ms Portlock had said on radio later that she would "not have tried to attack a burglar even if the laws were in place"."The errors compounded when she also explained that she didn't have a frying pan under the bed," Mr Gilfillan said. 
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on March 27, 2003 at 13:02:01 PT
Thanks puff_tuff
I have it posted now.
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Comment #1 posted by puff_tuff on March 27, 2003 at 12:38:42 PT
DEA Final Rule on Hemp Foods Challenged 
DEA Final Rule on Hemp Foods Challenged http://www.usnewswire.com/topnews/qtr1_2003/0327-132.html
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