cannabisnews.com: Oakland Pot Cafes Under Fire





Oakland Pot Cafes Under Fire
Posted by CN Staff on November 16, 2003 at 12:56:38 PT
By Herbert A. Sample -- Bee San Francisco Bureau
Source: Sacramento Bee 
Oakland -- If you didn't know what they really were, you might figure the two cafes a short walk from City Hall here were just that -- small, unassuming, eclectically decorated shops offering cups of java, muffins, juices and fruit.But if you were in the know and flashed the right identification card, you could walk into private back rooms and buy marijuana for medicinal purposes, and perhaps even smoke it.
Externally innocuous as they may be, the two cafes are a part of a proliferating industry in a section of downtown informally dubbed "Oaksterdam" -- a blending of this city's name with that of Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands, where cannabis cafes are legal and common.Nearby are at least five other outlets that sell medicinal marijuana without the pretense of a cafe exterior -- but only, insist the owners of the facilities, to patients with city-sanctioned ID cards.But the businesses are generating anger and concern among neighbors and also at City Hall down the street, where Mayor Jerry Brown and City Council members are debating how to restrict their number and operations.The marijuana shops, however, are crying foul, citing capitalistic principles more often heard among conservative economists than distributors of what the federal government still considers an illegal drug."We are against the city making limits on (the number of) dispensaries when the market isn't," said Kenny Mostern, a spokesman with the Uptown Merchants Association, an informal group of cafe and dispensary owners. "We have people engaged in legal commerce."The first dispensary to appear was the Oakland Cannabis Buyers' Cooperative, established shortly after voters in 1996 approved Proposition 215, which legalized the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes statewide.Snipped: Complete Article: http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/california/story/7797678p-8738789c.htmlSource: Sacramento Bee (CA)Author: Herbert A. Sample -- Bee San Francisco BureauPublished:  Sunday, November 16, 2003Copyright: 2003 The Sacramento BeeContact: opinion sacbee.comWebsite: http://www.sacbee.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Americans For Safe Accesshttp://www.safeaccessnow.org/Anti-Smoking Laws Threaten Oaksterdamhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17763.shtmlCannabis Clubs Put Council in Tight Spothttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17694.shtmlMedical Pot Has Council in Dithershttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17424.shtml
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Comment #6 posted by Virgil on November 16, 2003 at 19:52:27 PT
Repeating the repetition
Voting is a big deal of course, but it happens but once every two years on Congress. I have not said this much since 2001 but we need to share the pain. The most direct path to freedom would be to withdrawal from the economy as much as possibe to show that we are willing to share the pain and make them wish they had not picked on us. We need to raise the price of prohibition. I would say that we should all end our contributions to charity. I would say postpone all purchases and drive the car you have until the wheels fall off. The Indians Columbus sought to enslave often chose suicide in mass rather than slavery and driving your old car longer in opposition to our enslavement does not seem all that harsh of an act. Now I realize people have to have things to survive, but one thing I thought the key to beating prohibition was to eat at home. If all of us would curtain eating out we could close one in four restaurants easily. I still say we need to get serious and "starve the economy and have a thrifty meal."My screenname comes from this central thought that was asked by the Roman Virgil thousands of years ago in the Art of Poetry which does not seem to have any online recognition and makes me wonder if I really did read it. Virgil asked, "What is the value of a thrifty meal?" It is the only immediate path to freedom if you ask me. So, I ask, "Isn't freedom worth a thrifty meal?" It sure seems a better alternative than mass suicide in the face of enslavement.
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Comment #5 posted by Virgil on November 16, 2003 at 19:25:01 PT
The goal in a fight
Most everyone would acknowledge that the goal in sports is to win. It seems somehow to carry over as the goal in everything. Actually the goal in a fight is different as their is an aggressor that has cause to believe it can win. So you may often find yourself in a fight that you did not chose as it comes from a strong aggressor that may not be beaten.The goal in a fight is to make the aggressor regret his actions. He might win but the object is to make him wish he hadn't. Look at Iraq.NRA- Never re-elect anybody. Out with the bad and the good need to move up. The House needs sweeping and the Senate too.
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Comment #4 posted by Virgil on November 16, 2003 at 18:56:47 PT
A stake in the ground
The federal position of course has been described with many adjectives with the most appropriate being disingenuous. It is like a stake in the ground and we are all chained to it. We know the federal position is not going to change if science proves cannabis prevents cancer, brain degeneration, and cures the common cold. Now since we all are chained by this permanent stake in the ground we go around in a circle and pass the same points with the same issues. Maybe the chain gets slightly longer with each state law for MMJ, but we are all still chained and the view even with a longer chain is still the same. The feds are sure no one can pull up their stake and they seek to protect the chain that can be broken by restoring states rights under the 10th amendment. If the feds were confident of their position they would have sued to prove their position and as it is, the plan seems to keep the issue from getting a ruling.The government makes a point of letting us know we are all restricted by their power even if all of us are notimprisoned. It is all too humiliating to be chained by them as they repeatedly say there is no key. The chain is not going to break and it looks like we are all stuck in Groundhog Day waiting on rust of the iron to free us.All I can say is never re-elect anybody and for freedom's sake, vote.
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on November 16, 2003 at 17:59:24 PT
Nuevo Mexican 
He is doing a great job. He has so much nerve! He was going to be a Priest years ago. I didn't know that. Everything he says is hitting hard but he does it with humility. I like that humble way he has but isn't afraid to say it like it is!
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Comment #2 posted by Nuevo Mexican on November 16, 2003 at 17:50:14 PT
Thank you! Go Michael!
Watching it now! Excellent!
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on November 16, 2003 at 16:08:35 PT
Friendly Reminder: Michael Moore - C-Span 8 PM ET
Hi everyone,ekim posted earlier that Michael Moore will be on C-Span tonight at 8 PM and I wanted to make sure it wasn't missed by those who would like to see the program. Here's the information.08:00 PM
 BooknotesDude: Where's My Country?C-SPANMoore, Michael, Authorhttp://www.michaelmoore.com/Mr. Moore talks about his new book, Dude, Where’s My Country?, published by Warner. He describes grass roots changes and the 2004 presidential election. His emphasis is preventing the re-election of President Bush, while still criticizing the Democrats. http://inside.c-spanarchives.org:8080/cspan/schedule.csp
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