Pubdate: Tue, 29 Mar 2005
Source: San Francisco Examiner (CA)
Copyright: 2005 San Francisco Examiner
Contact:  http://www.examiner.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/389
Author: Marisa Lagos, Staff Writer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topics/San+Francisco

MARIJUANA CLUBS DRAWING IRE OF NEIGHBORS

Supervisors to Consider Zoning Issues Today

South of Market residents packed a meeting Monday night to air their
complaints about medicinal marijuana clubs in the area, just before
the Board of Supervisors considers a zoning moratorium on new clubs at
its meeting today.

The neighborhood meeting, organized by the Southern District police
station, attracted more than 50 people and included representatives
from the office of Supervisor Chris Daly, the City Attorney's Office,
the Planning Department and the Police Department's Narcotics Unit.

Anger has been mounting over SoMa's year-old club MendoHealing at 96
Lafayette St., where owner David Moore offers heavily discounted and
sometimes free medicinal-use cannabis. Neighbors say the club's
clientele illegally park in driveways and have become a nuisance, with
some selling pot on the street in the area.

There are 37 medicinal marijuana clubs in San Francisco, compared to
the 125 that have sprouted up statewide since voters approved
Proposition 215 in 1996, police Capt. Tim Hettrich said.

The City can currently do little to regulate the clubs because there
are no real policies set, said Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, who
introduced the zoning ordinance as a way to "buy us a little time so
we can get our house in order."

"What that means is legitimizing clubs by doing what [previous laws]
couldn't -- by setting regulations on the books so [the clubs] don't
have to operate in the shadows," he explained.

Tensions ran high at the SoMa meeting, however, where one woman
angrily stormed out as a representative from MendoHealing explained
the club's perspective.

"My experience at the club is that making a profit is the goal, and
all elements of people are now clientele and are harassing ... many of
the neighbors," said Robert, a neighbor who lives above the facility
and who refused to give his last name.

"We know we've made mistakes," acknowledged MendoHealing manager Alan
Norey, who said the club does turn a profit, but donates hundreds of
dollars a month to city programs. "We want to move. ... We'll work
with the city attorney, we'll work with police, but you have got to
give us guidelines and help us out here." 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake