Pubdate: Tue, 15 Nov 2005 Source: San Francisco Examiner (CA) Copyright: 2005 San Francisco Examiner Contact: http://www.examiner.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/389 Author: Jo Stanley, Staff Writer Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal) SUPERVISORS APPROVE STRICTER RULES FOR POT CLUBS After months of contentiousness and compromise, supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to impose a newly modified set of regulations for medicinal marijuana clubs that allows most existing operations to stay open under much closer oversight. The latest incarnation, a set of sweeping amendments proposed by Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, means clubs could only sell 1 ounce of cannabis at a time and all new clubs must be kept at least 1,000 feet from schools. But it also gets rid of proposed record-keeping requirements that some medical pot advocates feared could be subpoenaed by federal prosecutors who are not swayed by California state law allowing patients to use the substance with their doctor's permission. Once the 9-0 vote was taken, Mirkarimi stood to cheering applause in the board chambers. He commended the patience of all who weighed in during long discussions trying to balance the needs of patients with those of neighbors and singled out the dozens of activists in the medicinal cannabis community who attended hearing after hearing. "At times, we've known that the community doesn't speak with one voice," he said, but added that he considers the final legislation "a perfect junction" for a forward-looking city. The plan will likely allow all but a handful of The City's three dozen or so clubs to remain where they are once they pay permit and business license fees and meet new planning and health standards. Supervisor Chris Daly, who had recently voiced opposition to certain regulations out of concern that even clubs that had been "pretty good neighbors" might be shuttered by zoning limits, said he was satisfied with the new rules, which basically grandfather in the existing clubs in the South of Market area. Supervisors Sean Elsbernd and Gerardo Sandoval were absent for the vote. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake