Pubdate: Thu, 22 Jun 2000 Source: Bay Area Reporter (CA) Copyright: 2000 The Bay Area Reporter / B.A.R. Contact: 395 9th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103 Website: http://www.ebar.com/ Author: Terry Beswick MEDICAL POT CLUBS OF SAN FRANCISCO AND BEYOND It Ain't Amsterdam - At Least Not Yet. San Francisco can't compare its liberal mores to the Dutch city's even-more-liberal attitudes toward the intoxicating drug commonly referred to hereabouts as "pot." Indeed, the city's populace and, increasingly, its political leaders have long been a hotbed of support for fans of the relatively harmless plant - particularly when those who smoke it or ingest it are using it medicinally to alleviate a variety of physiological conditions. This Sunday, several local medical marijuana dispensaries and other supporters of marijuana decriminalization will be contingent #159 in the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Parade - right behind the contingent for District Attorney Terence Hallinan. If the wind is blowing in the right direction, the D.A. could possibly even get a little contact high going. No word on whether the medical pot supporters are concerned about exhaust fumes from the D.A.'s motorcade. (Medical cannabis supporters are being encouraged to show up around 11:30 a.m. on Beale between Harrison and Folsom streets). San Francisco is still in America, a country that classifies cannabis as a schedule 1 controlled substance, meaning it has "no accepted medical use in treatment in the United States." While the research has not really been done to prove all of marijuana's potential medical uses, the U.S. classification has been clearly contradicted in a scientific summary report from the esteemed quasi-governmental Institute of Medicine (available at http://www.drugsense.org/iom_report). And according to a recent review of Department of Justice records conducted by marijuana legalization advocates, an estimated 59,300 prisoners charged with or convicted of violating marijuana laws are behind bars in the U.S. at any one time. Proposition 215, passed by California voters in 1996, made the cultivation and possession of marijuana for personal medicinal use legal in this state, provided a user has the written or oral "recommendation" or approval from a physician "who has determined that the person's health would benefit from the use of marijuana in the treatment of cancer, anorexia, AIDS, chronic pain, spasticity, glaucoma, arthritis, migraine, or any other illness for which marijuana provides relief." The measure was codified in the California Health and Safety Code, Section 11362.5. While the San Francisco district attorney's office makes prosecution of marijuana-related offenses a very low priority, police harassment and arrest of people found using or in possession of marijuana are not uncommon in San Francisco and throughout the state. Hallinan was himself a strong supporter of 215, which is slowly being implemented as city, state, and federal authorities struggle to interpret the law. Generally, if you're going to smoke pot, it is advisable to find a doctor who will recommend in writing that you use it, and that you then carry this recommendation with you. And, as added protection, become a card-carrying member of one of the larger marijuana dispensaries listed below. Next month, cards from the individual clubs could become less necessary as the San Francisco Department of Public Health is expected to begin issuing identification cards for a small fee to patients and caregivers. If the program is successfully implemented, the ID cards will be honored by many of the individual clubs, and are more likely to stave off local police harassment, given the city health department's imprimatur. Conversely, however, not having a card could be seen as an implication of guilt, i.e. being a plain old pothead with no legitimate medical need. While the government has stymied most research into the medical uses of cannabis, the drug has been shown to effectively treat nausea and vomiting, stimulate appetite, alleviate pain and muscle spasms, and other conditions. The Proposition 215 campaign was based in San Francisco in a building at 1444 Market Street, sharing space with the legendary Cannabis Buyers Club, founded in 1991. Many of those who worked with Proposition 215 author Dennis Peron - who now maintains a large marijuana farm in Lake County - and others who ran the groundbreaking campaign from the much-raided, now-defunct medical marijuana club have since hung out their own shingles, opening up dispensaries in storefronts and office spaces throughout San Francisco. "It was like Ma Bell when it broke up, and now we have all these nice little clubs," said Wayne Justmann of the San Francisco Patients' Resource Center, who has been a leader in the medical marijuana movement. While Justmann's group and a few others are quite open about their activities, they primarily use Web sites, press reports, and word-of-mouth to advertise their businesses. And some of the pot clubs do not like to give out too much information for publication - indeed, there are quite a number of pot dealers in San Francisco who remain distrustful of the authorities, and stay entirely underground, preferring to sell to their customers whether they can prove a medical need or not. All the dispensaries listed below require some form of documentation to verify that buyers have a legitimate medical need for the marijuana, but from there, the clubs differ widely. Some assure confidentiality, while others do not guarantee it, so it is a good idea to inquire about policies and procedures to protect your identity if that is a concern. Several of the so-called "clubs" operating in San Francisco are formally registered as nonprofits or have been taken under the wing of older nonprofits in order to establish their tax-exempt status with the Internal Revenue Service. Judging by their outward appearance, whether technically nonprofit or not, most operate like any other small business or health-related community organization, employing on-site staffs ranging in size from one to 25 and up. With one notable exception, all of the clubs are either apolitical or restrict their political activities to medicinal marijuana and marijuana legalization. ACT UP/San Francisco A few years back, the current members of ACT UP/San Francisco were selling a photochemical called DNCB, which was painted in patches on the body to try to elicit an immune response. These days, the direct action group is selling a much better researched - and much more profitable - treatment alternative. The sign hanging out front of the building at 1884 Market Street at Laguna reads, "ACT UP Community Space," and the wheelchair-accessible ground level is open to the public for the purchase of medical marijuana, or simply to use the restroom and peruse AIDS dissident literature. Push the security buzzer out front Tuesdays through Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The group requires new medical marijuana clients to present a "letter of diagnosis and a government photo ID." Call ahead for an intake appointment at (415) 864-6686. Among all the medical marijuana dispensaries currently operating in San Francisco, the one housed in the gated, black-painted, graffiti-tagged storefront-on the other end of the block from the currently-under-construction LGBT Community Center-is the most political and the most controversial with interests ranging far beyond providing compassionate access to good, cheap dope for medical purposes. Their medical marijuana dispensary sells a wide range of cannabis of various qualities and prices, and grossed about $1.6 million in their first year, employing about a dozen members of ACT UP/San Francisco, and helping fund their far-reaching political agenda - driven by their immutable conviction that HIV does not cause AIDS, an agenda perhaps best left to them to explain (www.actupsf.com). A self-described anarchist group, ACT UP/San Francisco is not incorporated, nonprofit or otherwise. Last fall, however, several ACT UP/San Francisco members quietly formed a business entity called GTT Trust, which borrowed several hundred thousand dollars from a local venture capitalist who likes to invest in the HIV dissident cause, using the money to buy the commercial/residential building that houses all of the group's activities. CHAMP Cannabis Helping Alleviate Medical Problems is conveniently located at 194 Church Street in San Francisco, at 14th and Market streets, right across the street from the Church Street Safeway. CHAMP says it is a "not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting people with life- and/or sense-threatening illnesses and other medical conditions where cannabis use is indicated by a licensed physician." Although the group would not reveal its total budget, it is likely doing a brisk business, as it currently employs about 25 people. CHAMP's total client base also was not available; the club issues its membership cards for use not only at CHAMP, but at several other local clubs as evidence of eligibility to use medical marijuana under Proposition 215. Unlike most San Francisco dispensaries, however, it does not honor cards issued by other clubs, including the widely-accepted Oakland Cannabis Buyer's Club cards. At intake, CHAMP requires clients to present a California ID, and a letter of diagnosis from a physician recommending marijuana for treatment and agreeing to monitor the patient's ongoing care. The club provides a form letter which clients may use for this purpose. "We provide a safe and comfortable environment where members can use their cannabis in a social and supportive setting without the risk of potential harm," states the club's Web site. CHAMP is open Mondays through Fridays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and on weekends from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., new clients must make an intake appointment before making a purchase. Intake appointments are scheduled in advance on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. For an intake appointment or other information, call (415) 861-1040, or go to www.champsf.org. The Hemp Center Located at 2533 Balboa Avenue, this neighborhood group sells ecologically-sound hemp products. Call (415) 221-HEMP for more information. The Hope Center Also a smaller operation, the Hope Center is run by two law students in the Warfield Building at 988 Market Street, Suite 406. The club is open Mondays through Saturdays from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Call (415) 929-8367 for more information. Howard Street Harm Reduction Center Ken Hayes, formerly of CHAMP, runs this recently-opened center at 1017 Howard between 6th and 7th streets. Hours of operation for the club are Monday through Saturday from 1 to 7 p.m. Call (415) 575-9790 for more information. Market Street Club With its convenient Castro neighborhood location, this club has definitely got an edge on convenience, at least for people who live in the Castro. >From its second floor office at 2340 Market between Noe and Castro streets, the Market Street Club has been operated as a sole proprietorship (i.e. for-profit business) by Jim Green since late 1997, making it the oldest surviving club in the city. Green's mission, he told the Bay Area Reporter, is "to provide high quality medical marijuana to all qualifying 215-ers." According to Green, prices run 10-15 percent higher than other local clubs, but he claims that the quality of his exclusively California-grown no-stems green herb is better than most. "I only sell the best I can find," he said, adding that edibles are available by special order. While there are no standing discount policies for those with low incomes, the "obviously destitute" might get a good deal, Green said. Closed Sundays and Mondays, Green's club is open for business Tuesdays through Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., on Fridays 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and by appointment. Currently, the Market Street Club does not honor memberships obtained at other clubs; potential clients must present a letter of diagnosis and a recommendation to use marijuana from a licensed medical doctor, and a state or federal photo ID. Green said that he does plan to honor the ID cards to be issued this summer by the San Francisco DPH, with one caveat: "The client will have to prove to me that their letter of diagnosis did not come from one of these recommendation mills the other clubs use," he said. For more information, call (415) 861-1864. San Francisco Patients' & Caregivers' Health Center Also known as the Mission Street Club, this medical marijuana dispensary is located at 1933 Mission between 15th and 16th streets. This club is open only for a few hours Monday through Friday, from 5 to 8 p.m. The club asks that new clients be 18 or older, and present a state-issued picture ID and written doctor's recommendation. In addition to top-grade California-grown (7A) and lower grade marijuana, the club also sells "Space Cakes," banana nut bread with special spicing; "Cosmic Cocktails," a cold cannabis and orange beverage billed as "America's first psychoactive beverage since the tax act;" and tinctures of marijuana extract in alcohol. The club's Web site offers some compelling patient testimonials: "I successfully quit using tobacco, alcohol, and caffeine substances, now I smoke the high quality marijuana (7A), and I feel a lot healthier. It also turns me on sexually," said Kathy. "I'm 84 years old, and I smoke marijuana to relieve my nausea from chemotherapy, also the staff are very friendly and outgoing," offered Andrew. "I suffer from depression, and before coming to Patients & Caregivers I lived in a deep dark hole, but now after smoking 7A, I get naked and run around the city," stated Matie. For more information, call (415) 701-9537 or visit the club's Web site at http://www.medicalmarijuana.com. San Francisco Patients' Resource Center Less than a year old, this club at 350 Divisadero Street is already one of the most established clubs in San Francisco, with between 125 and 150 clients each day, and about 25 full- and part-time employees. The St. Martin de Pores Dispensary (also known as St. Martin's Dispensary) operates as a separate entity on the site in partnership with the SFPRC, both under the nonprofit umbrella of St. Ephraim's House of the Orthodox Catholic Synod of the Syro-Chaldean Rite Church. SFPRC's founders, who had been closely involved in passage of Proposition 215, staged a picket against the San Francisco DPH several weeks ago, complaining that they had not been included in the development of the new ID program; they have since been regularly updated on DPH's plans for the system, and plan to honor the cards when they are issued. With seven or eight varieties in stock, prices range from $5 to $50 for a gram of cannabis, depending, of course, on the quality. "The quality is up and the prices are down. What's happening is growers are realizing who we're selling to," Justmann told the B.A.R. on June 17. "Dennis [Peron] is going to have a really great crop this year." Hours of operation are Monday through Friday, from 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., and on weekends from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. For more information, call (415) 552-8648, or visit the group's Web site at http://www.sfprc.org. Other Northern California dispensaries and support groups: * Berkeley Cannabis Coop - (510) 486-1025 * Berkeley Patients' Group - (510) 540-6013 * Humboldt County: Arcata CBC - (707) 825-0839 * Laytonville: Redwood Herbal Collective - (707) 984-7440 * Marin Alliance for Medical MJ - (415) 256-9328 * Mendocino: Ukiah CBC - (707) 462-0691 * Oakland CBC - (510) 832-5346, or check out http://www.rxcbc.org * Petaluma: Genesis 1:29 - (707) 789-0527, http://www.genesis129.org * Plumas County: Feather River Coop - (530) 283-4517 * Santa Cruz Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical MJ - (831)423-5413, http://www.wamm.org * Santa Cruz Cannabis Pharmaceuticals - (831) 460-0420, or http://www.santacruzcannabispharmaceuticals.com * Santa Cruz Med Ex Delivery Service - (831)425-3444 * Santa Cruz Compassion Flower Inn: Bed & Breakfast for Prop. 215 Patients - (831) INN-0420, or http://www.compassionflowerinn.com * Sonoma Alliance for Med MJ - (707) 522-0292 * Stockton: Angel Wings Patient Outreach - (209) 474-1705, or visit http://www.AngelWingsPatients.homestead.com/AngelWings.html * Ventura County Alliance for Marijuana Patients - (805) 388-0551 * Yuba County CBC - (530) 679-2778 - --- MAP posted-by: Doc-Hawk