Pubdate: Wed, 23 Jun 2010
Source: Marin Independent Journal (CA)
Copyright: 2010 Marin Independent Journal
Contact:  http://www.marinij.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/673
Author: Rob Rogers
Cited: Marin Alliance for Medical Marijuana http://www.cbcmarin.com/

FAIRFAX ALLOWS MEDICAL POT CLUB TO PROVIDE DELIVERY

Fairfax residents unable to travel to a medical marijuana dispensary 
can now legally receive home delivery.

The town Planning Commission approved the move and also granted the 
Marin Alliance for Medical Marijuana permission to serve minor 
patients who enter its School Street dispensary, and to sell cloned 
marijuana plants.

But the commission refused to allow the club to grow plants of its 
own, because founding director Lynnette Shaw has not yet said where 
the group would do so.

The decision marked a victory for Shaw, who has labored since 
February to change 40 of the 84 conditions the Planning Commission 
imposed on her business in 1997, when it became the first legally 
sanctioned medical marijuana dispensary to operate under California's 
Compassionate Use Act of 1996.

"I am proud of Fairfax," Shaw said in a statement. "I feel honored by 
all the support we have."

The town removed 12 of Shaw's conditions in 2001 and deleted nine 
more on June 17, agreeing to modify an additional 31. Under the new 
conditions, the Marin Alliance can make deliveries to customers in 
Fairfax in one of two trucks. A licensed, bonded driver must 
accompany a dispensary employee while making deliveries, and the 
dispensary must carry insurance that indemnifies the town from 
liability. Drivers can carry up to $2,500 in marijuana products and 
$2,500 in cash.

Shaw had sought the delivery service to allow the Marin Alliance to 
compete with unlicensed clubs from Marin County and licensed clubs 
from San Francisco, both of which had begun delivering marijuana to 
Fairfax residents.

That's a problem Kevin Reed can understand. For the past three years, 
Reed has operated The Green Cross, a medical marijuana delivery 
service based in his San Francisco home.

"Mine was the first dispensary in the city of San Francisco to get a 
permit to sell cannabis with the stipulation that it be delivery only 
- - and they wanted it to be 'delivery only' because it was out of my 
home," Reed said. "All clubs (in San Francisco) that have a permit to 
sell medical cannabis can deliver, but most choose not to do so, 
because there's absolutely no money in it. It's easier to open a 
storefront and have people come to them."

During the past year, however, Reed has faced competition from 
illegal delivery services taking advantage of the shifting legal 
climate surrounding marijuana use.

After one attempted robbery early in its operation, The Green Cross 
developed a code of conduct for its employees and patients. "We drive 
unmarked cars," Reed said. "All of our drivers have panic buttons on 
their cars. And there are a couple of neighborhoods we just don't go 
into after dark."

Concerns about delivery safety led Fairfax Police Chief Ken Hughes to 
oppose the delivery provision, and Planning Commissioner Pamela Meigs 
to abstain from the commission's vote.

"The other (changes to the) use permit I felt OK with, but I could 
not agree with the delivery system," Meigs said. "I feel safety is a 
priority for the community."

The Planning Commission agreed to the changes on a vote of 5-1-1, 
following four consecutive meetings on the issue. While Meigs 
abstained, commissioner Peter Lacques cast the sole dissenting vote, 
objecting to the provision that allows minors to enter the dispensary.

"I feel very strongly there's absolutely no rational reason why 
minors should be allowed into the dispensary," Lacques said.

Aware that they were potentially blazing new legal ground, members of 
the commission spent many hours researching and debating the many 
aspects of the Marin Alliance's permit, with assistant town attorney 
Inder Khasla spending more than 20 hours on the case, at $195 an hour.

Yet town officials say it's unlikely the permit will serve as an 
effective blueprint for two other medical marijuana dispensaries that 
have applied to set up shop in Fairfax in recent months - or others 
who could apply in the future.

"We do not have an ordinance relative to this use," said Fairfax 
Planning Director Jim Moore. "We have to evaluate these requests on 
an applicant to applicant basis." 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake