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." - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake