cannabisnews.com: Only 3 Apply for Pot Clinic Permits Only 3 Apply for Pot Clinic Permits Posted by CN Staff on September 01, 2005 at 07:27:23 PT By Karen Holzmeister, Staff Writer Source: Daily Review California -- There wasn't a stampede this week to apply for three potentially lucrative medical marijuana dispensary permits in unincorporated areas. Only three of the six current cannabis clubs turned in applications by Tuesday's late afternoon deadline. Three applications for three permits does not mean automatic approval. Alameda County Sheriff's Capt. Stephen Roderick said Wednesday that a team of county administrators will review the permits during the next month and then recommend which — if any — applicants should receive a permit. Meanwhile, Oakland attorney Dennis Roberts — representing the three other clinics — pledged to take legal action against Alameda County unless it extends the application deadline and removes questions in the application that he described as "an invasion of privacy." However, county supervisors, who set the three-permit limit and gave the sheriff's department its marching orders to handle the permit process, are not scheduled to meet until Sept. 20. Roderick insisted his department is not inclined to back off from its current schedule "because we are following the timeline and dates established by the supervisors." Confusion, however, and not just confrontation, reigned Wednesday in the battle to regulate medical marijuana in such heavily populated areas as Ashland, Castro Valley, Cherryland and San Lorenzo. The three applications aren't reflective of the unincorporated geographic area identified by supervisors. County supervisors want to halve the number of active dispensaries in unincorporated areas and spread the medical marijuana sales locations beyond the six existing businesses in Ashland and Cherryland. A seventh clinic closed earlier this year. However, applicants The HealthCenter and Alameda County Resource Center are both on East 14th Street in Ashland. Compassionate Collective of Alameda County is on Mission Boulevard in Hayward. Castro Valley has no sites. There also appears to be a break in ranks among dispensary operators. "If we stick together, we can beat this," said Adele Morgan, co-owner of We Are Hemp in San Lorenzo, one of Roberts' clients. She was under the impression Wednesday that the county had agreed to a 30-day extension and that all six dispensary operators in unincorporated areas had decided against submitting applications. Roberts' other clients are A Natural Source in Ashland and Garden of Eden in Cherryland. Supervisors have been studying the dispensary issue since last fall. The number of dispensaries in unincorporated areas grew to seven in 2004, after Oakland closed some medical marijuana clinics. Supervisors decided the dispensaries needed regulation, in terms of numbers, location and operation. Originally, supervisors considered a maximum of five clinics in unincorporated areas. They dropped that number to three in the regulations, adopted in June, which form the basis of the sheriff's dispensary application process. Other regulations govern the amount of marijuana allowed on the premises, and dispensary proximity to each other and to such public facilities as schools. Roderick said the extensive background check included with the application is to ensure the sheriff's department covers all bases "in what essentially is a gray area, a licensing (for dispensaries) in what is new ground. Even though California law says medical marijuana can be sold, it's still a violation of federal law." Karen Holzmeister covers Castro Valley, the Hayward Area Recreation and Park District, and county government for unincorporated areas. Note: Approval won't be automatic for three openings; other former facilities threaten legal action.Source: Daily Review, The (CA)Author: Karen Holzmeister, Staff WriterPublished: September 1, 2005Copyright: 2005 Media News Group, Inc.Contact: revlet angnewspapers.comWebsite: http://www.dailyreviewonline.com/CannabisNews -- Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #4 posted by Hope on September 01, 2005 at 16:35:41 PT Prohibitionists and fear of drugs or cannabis. We've all wondered about this. How can they be so fearful and so willing to bring harm to others to keep them from using it? Why are they so afraid and filled with apparent hatred?It looks to me like this could have even more parallels with the witch burnings of another era than I had realized. Why don't they see cannabis for what it is, a mildly...compared to what alcohol can do...intoxicating herb? They don't see it for what it is though. They see it for what they imagine it to be and they obviously attribute some sort of supernatural power to cannabis and some drugs, not alcohol, tobacco, or caffiene, of course. They know there is nothing "supernatural" about the effects of those things on humans...yet apparently they are able to make themselves believe that there is something wicked, supernatural, and evil about cannabis. They are superstitious...just like their forefather's who burned people at the stake because they were afraid of the supernatural powers they believed their victims to have. The prohibitionists have convinced themselves that their enemies are not just plants and chemicals and people who use them, but something with deadly, uncontrollable supernatural powers and it's out to steal their "children"...just like the dangerous witches who were out to harm, molest, and kill "their children" in that earlier time.I think there is something to this. They've whipped themselves and others into a hysterical frenzy, actually blinded to what they are really doing...just like the people who were doing the witches a "favor", causing their neighbors to rise up against them...no matter how normal they seemed before the accusations were brought to light.It's a mild intoxicant. That's all. It's not the boogeyman they imagine it to be, but they definitely are imagining it to be some sort "boogeyman" or "monster"...and they are willing to kill and destroy to keep that "boogeyman" from "getting" or "seducing" them or, heaven forbid, their children.That's kind of scary, thinking there are so many crazy people out there, prohibitionists, thinking they are behaving rationally in their hard set fear when, in fact, they are not behaving sensibly at all.While many people find it a pleasant experience to use marijuana, others do not. That's just like anything else. Ice cream isn't supernatural just because a lot of people like it and want to keep it handy. Neither is marijuana. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by FoM on September 01, 2005 at 14:25:34 PT lombar I agree with you. I think parents should be the ones to teach their own children not government agencies. I'm tired of drug warriors saying to children what is the parents responsibility. I know some parents don't care but the majority of parents love and will teach their children about drug use the way they see fit. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by lombar on September 01, 2005 at 14:19:08 PT More lies for kids... FoM,That site is just a rehashing of all the drug war lies repackaged. I wonder if kids will see the hypocrisy of having meth and cocaine schedule II with meth being prescribable for an appetite surpressent yet cannabis is claimed to have no medical use. Only the DEA and anti-drug fanatics cling to that lie. It justifies (in their minds) their continued jihad against cannabis.The other thing that lept out at me IMMEDIATLY was when I looked at their so-called facts and fiction section: they sandwiched 'marijuana is not medicine' between two other points about addiction. Addiction -> death 'MJ is not medicine' Addiction -> treatment. It demonstrates their renewed attack against cannabis. Sickening.To think the american taxpayer pays so much to be lied to constantly. The fact they overlook is how evil they are and the fiction they perpetrate is that they serve our best interests. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by FoM on September 01, 2005 at 13:51:08 PT Press Release from CADCA DEA Demand Reduction Program Launches Website for TeensSeptember 1, 2005This week, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Demand Reduction program launched a new website aimed at teens, located at http://www.justthinktwice.com The site provides teens with straightforward information on drug use, providing them “real life” examples of how drug use can impact their lives.The site contains facts and helpful information on a wide range of issues—from methamphetamine use and drugged driving to the federal penalties for drug trafficking and manufacturing. It also dispels many of the misconceptions that teens have about drug legalization, “medical” marijuana and other topics. Among the highlights of JustThinkTwice is a section recounting stories about teens who have lost their lives as a result of drug use.“DEA's newly launched teen-oriented website is a wonderful educational tool with visually engaging graphics, real life stories and accurate, science-based information. This site accurately portrays the real dangers of drugs to our kids, and to American society at large,” said General Arthur T. Dean, CADCA Chairman and CEO. The launch of this website is just one example of how the DEA Demand Reduction program is providing valuable support to community coalitions and other prevention groups throughout the country. The DEA's Demand Reduction program is a small, but invaluable resource to community coalitions around the nation. Demand Reduction Coordinators are key liaisons between community coalitions and law enforcement. They provide in-depth knowledge of the illegal drug scene and are an important resource to the drug prevention field. DEA's Demand Reduction Coordinators are the critical link between the DEA's enforcement efforts, community leaders and citizens trying to take back their streets from drug dealers. The President’s FY 2006 budget recommended eliminating funding for the DEA’s Demand Reduction program. The full House passed its version of the appropriations bill that contains funding for the DEA’s Demand Reduction program and fully restored it. The Senate Appropriations Committee marked up its version of the bill and recommended that the program be eliminated. Once the full Senate passes its version of the bill, the decision about whether to fund or eliminate this program will be made by a Conference Committee. This week, CADCA issued a legislative alert about this critical program. To let members of Congress aware of the importance of the DEA’s Demand Reduction Program , click here to use CADCA’s online web faxing system. http://cadca.org/CoalitionsOnline/article.asp?id=871 [ Post Comment ] Post Comment