cannabisnews.com: Plan Puts Cannabis Club in Alameda County Hospital Plan Puts Cannabis Club in Alameda County Hospital Posted by CN Staff on May 09, 2005 at 07:02:48 PT By Guy Ashley, Contra Costa Times Source: Contra Costa Times Oakland, Calif. -- When it comes to medical marijuana, Alameda County may be on the verge of going where no local government has gone before: setting up a dispensary for medical cannabis at a county-owned hospital."I would like the county to do this," said County Supervisor Nate Miley, who will present a proposal today to set up a marijuana dispensary at Fairmont Hospital in San Leandro. "It would help bring legitimacy to the whole medical marijuana situation." It also may help cool a considerable amount of heat being generated within the ranks over Alameda County's protracted efforts to come up with a law regulating medical marijuana dispensaries.Much of the heat comes from Sheriff Charles Plummer, who says he is so frustrated by the lack of resolution that he has set a June 17 deadline for the county to finalize a marijuana dispensary ordinance. Monday's public meeting of the transportation and planning committee of the Alameda County Supervisors is meant to get discussion going on the issue.If the county misses the deadline, Plummer says he will cite federal law and order his deputies to shut down the seven dispensaries now doing business in unincorporated Alameda County.He says he is not blowing smoke."If they don't come up with an ordinance, they will see this is the real deal," he said.Miley, a longtime advocate of medical marijuana, says the pressure applied by Plummer has provoked creative thinking and is partly responsible for the Fairmont dispensary proposal.It would allow the county to help patients who need medical marijuana, he says. But it would still impose the kind of tight regulations critics have called for to counter dispensaries offering what they say is back-door legal cover for people to smoke marijuana without legitimate medical need.Miley's not ashamed to admit another key advantage: The idea is supported by Plummer, and therefore could prevent a meltdown within the county ranks over medical marijuana."It's brilliant," Plummer said of the Fairmont proposal. "I hate the idea of selling marijuana, but on the other hand, we have a state law that says some people should be able to get it. I think we should set up a program that would be a model for everyone else to see."Alameda County has held public hearings on an ordinance since last October, striving to develop rules that reflect the strong voter support for medical marijuana.Reaching consensus on local regulations has been difficult, however, because of the disconnect between state laws sanctioning medical marijuana and federal laws that prohibit any possession, use or sales of the drug.That conflict is at the heart of a legal case brought by Oakland medical marijuana patient Angel Raich now pending before U.S. Supreme Court.County Counsel Richard Winnie says a Fairmont dispensary would probably involve leasing space at the hospital to an outside contractor who would run the dispensary, not unlike other community organizations with which the county contracts for medical services."There is the obvious question of whether the feds would attempt to interfere," Winnie said. "But any questions of liability I believe could be covered in our contract."A spokeswoman for the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, Casey McEnry, said she would not speculate on whether federal authorities would try to stop a marijuana dispensary on county property."Selling marijuana is still in violation of federal law no matter where it's sold," she said. "No agency is above the law."A draft of Miley's proposal circulated by Winnie's office calls for allowing five dispensaries to operate in unincorporated county areas, under permits administered by the county.That means at least two dispensaries now operating in unincorporated areas of Hayward and San Leandro would have to shut down if the law is passed.In addition, the proposal would draw five districts in the unincorporated areas and allow only one dispensary per district in order to enhance geographic access to dispensaries, while guarding against the clustering of clubs in certain neighborhoods.But the idea would impact operations of at least two existing clubs because three dispensaries currently operate within a two-block area of East 14th Street in San Leandro."It troubles me that this law focuses on hard numbers and geographic districts without addressing specifically how well an existing club is run," said Sparky Rose, executive director of Compassionate Caregivers, which operates one of the dispensaries on East 14th Street. "More than anything, this law should be about helping the best-run organizations operate in the best way possible to meet the needs of patients."Rose said he is proud of the Compassionate Caregivers operation, and would be interested in seeking a county contract to run the Fairmont dispensary.Supervisor Scott Haggerty, who is dead set against any county permits for neighborhood dispensaries, said the Fairmont proposal is likely one he could support.County Health Director Dave Kears said he also sees positive aspects to Miley's idea but wonders if the strict approach suggested by a Fairmont operation would send patients looking elsewhere for their medical marijuana."The only question is, if you really run this the right way, would anybody come?"Guy Ashley covers Oakland and Alameda County. If You Go:What: Discussion of proposed medical marijuana ordinance by Alameda County Board of Supervisors, transportation and planning committeeWhen: 2 p.m. todayWhere: County Administration Building, 1221 Oak St., Oakland Room 477, fourth floor Source: Contra Costa Times (CA)Author: Guy Ashley, Contra Costa TimesPublished: May 9, 2005Copyright: 2005 Knight RidderContact: letters cctimes.comWebsite: http://www.contracostatimes.com/Angel Raich v. Ashcroft Newshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/raich.htmCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #1 posted by FoM on May 09, 2005 at 20:03:31 PT Related Article from Bay City News Wire Alameda Supes Take First Step To Putting Pot Club In HospitalMay 9, 2005OAKLAND (BCN) -- An Alameda County Board of Supervisors committee today approved a marijuana dispensary ordinance which includes a proposal to have medical marijuana at a county-owned hospital. The proposal is now scheduled to go before the full Board of Supervisors on May 24 for final approval. If the proposal is approved, Alameda County would be the first county in the state to have a dispensary for medical cannabis at a county-owned hospital. At today's Transportation and Planning Committee meeting, which was attended by about 50 people, Alameda County Sheriff Charles Plummer, the county's top law enforcement officer, said he thinks Supervisor Nate Miley's proposal to set up a marijuana dispensary at Fairmont Hospital in San Leandro "is brilliant." Plummer said, "We have a chance in this county to be a model" for other jurisdictions in how to dispense medical marijuana in a safe and orderly fashion. Having the county run a dispensary "would take the profit out of it," he said. However, Miley said it would be at least six months before the county is ready to set up a dispensary at Fairmont hospital campus. Currently, seven medical marijuana dispensaries operate in the unincorporated parts of Alameda County, mainly in unincorporated Hayward and San Leandro. Dispensaries that operate in cities throughout the county, such as Oakland, Berkeley and Hayward, wouldn't be affected by the ordinance. If the proposed ordinance is approved May 24, it would only allow between three and five dispensaries to operate, thus forcing at least two of the dispensaries now in business to shut down. If a Fairmont dispensary is approved down the line, it would be the only dispensary allowed in the unincorporated parts of the county. A major obstacle to having a dispensary at Fairmont is the ongoing conflict between state laws approving medical marijuana and federal laws that prohibit any possession, use or sale of the drug. Supervisor Scott Haggerty, who serves with Miley on the committee, said he would vote to approve a dispensary at Fairmont only if federal officials indemnified Alameda County from any criminal or civil liability. "I would never put county employees in a position where they could be incarcerated," Haggerty said. Haggerty also said he only wants the county to allow two or three dispensaries, not the five recommended by Miley. Miley said he thinks having a dispensary at Fairmont "is the right thing to do" and he would push for it even without federal approval as long as a majority of supervisors endorsed the idea. Plummer said the county needs to "proceed as rapidly as we can" to approve some sort of ordinance regulating medical marijuana dispensaries. He has set a June 17 deadline for an ordinance to be finalized. If the county misses his deadline, Plummer said he will cite federal law and order his deputies to shut down the seven dispensaries now doing business in unincorporated Alameda County. Plummer said, "I'm not opposed to medical marijuana, but we need to do this right." Referring to his long career in law enforcement, Plummer said, "I've abided by the law for 53 years and I won't stop now." Speakers at today's meeting were divided over the proposed ordinance. Some people praised it, stating that dispensaries need to be more closely regulated, but some people opposed it, saying the county shouldn't limit the number of dispensaries. Sparky Rose, the executive director of Compassionate Caregivers, which operates a dispensary in unincorporated San Leandro, said, "Our primary concern is the selection process" by which the county would choose which dispensaries could operate. Chris Hermes, legal director of Americans for Safe Access, said he's opposed to the proposed cap on the number of distributors, the proposed ban on on-site consumption of medical marijuana and to having the sheriff's department run the permit process. Hermes said county health officials should be the ones to issue permits because he believes medical marijuana is a public health matter, not a law enforcement matter. But Angelo Madrigal, the director of student services at the San Lorenzo School District, which is located near one of the dispensaries, said the clubs should be more tightly regulated because activity there is "counterproductive to the message we're giving to students to stay away from drugs and marijuana." Poppy Richie, a mother and teacher from San Leandro, said the dispensaries are allowing healthy young people, including her son, to obtain cards that allow them to use medical marijuana. "Marijuana is a gateway drug for kids and I'm concerned about its effect on young people," she said. Copyright: MMV, CBS Broadcasting Inc.,http://cbs5.com/localwire/localfsnews/bcn/2005/05/09/n/HeadlineNews/FIRST-STEP/resources_bcn_html [ Post Comment ] Post Comment