City may prohibit marijuana dispensaries

I am a 50 year old marijuana patient and I have been going to the Angel Care dispensary since November 2009. I have never seen any loitering or criminal activity. The security guards are very thorough and always offer to walk me to my car. The first time I went to this dispensary, I was impressed with their professionalism. They are paying sales tax and providing employment. They always have a donation jar for the local food bank and donated an impressive number toys at Christmas. I am very glad to have a local marijuana dispensary. It would be a shame to see the city turn down tax revenue in these troubled times.

As someone who uses 1 of the locations in San Francisco (I would rather the money go to my own City (Mountain View) instead) I have NEVER seen or heard of any type of “criminal activity” anywhere near their location. It’s so obscure that if you didn’t know it was there you would drive right past it (same for the location in Santa Clara). The SF police drive by the location all the time, and their biggest concern seems to be the people who either double park to “run in real quick”, or who park next to the fire hydrant directly in front of the front door of the location (great way to boost money for the City with those parking tickets!). No one can ever say that any 1 thing would be the cause of increase in crime or anything like that. We’ve had an upsurge in violent crimes in Mountain View within the past few weeks and that has happened WITHOUT a dispensary within our City. To automatically ASSUME things would get bad or worse due to a dispensary is ignorant. Most arrest on the weekends are more than likely due to the excessive alcohol from the SEVERAL/MANY liquor stores on every other corner and all of the clubs, pubs, bars and restraunts all throughout downtown on Castro St. How many are there on Castro anyways?

I’ve been a resident of Mountain View for almost 10 years now and sometimes the ignorant comments by some of the residents amazes me (boy! talk about being judgemental towards others, espcially without knowing their situation). If someone is going to rob, rape or even murder…they are going to do it whether they are high on marijuana or not and usually it’s while drunk or just plain evil. The problems in the other cities were already there (more are just being caught)…someone has to blame it on something other than the true ignorance of that particular person.

Check the medical studies or better yet…ask a patient who can’t eat due to nausea from chemo or 1 who can’t take any actual “man made” medicine for pain due to the side effects making them feel worse than actually helping. I think everyone would find there are more people using marijuana everywhere (but are afraid to say so) than thought or known. Talk to and hear out the actual patients who use it (find out why) and truly hear both sides before making all final judgements and decisions.

Just as with anything else in this world…if you do it correctly, fairly and monitor it regularly, it should work out for the good of all.

Pot smoking is a gateway drug and leads to homosexuality.

I am 31 years old and know about 15 people killed because of alcohol.
1 pothead (impacts their life negatively) out of about 75 smokers.
3 people killed from prescription drugs (2 of which had alcohol involved

None of the people killed from alcohol where “alcoholics” and the one person I know that is a “Pothead” would probably be an alcoholic if it weren’t for the Weed.

I would prefer a pothead to an alcoholic any time.

If anyone follows up. Please tell us how many people you know that have been killed from alcohol.

This is from one of the white papers produced by the California Police Chiefs Association (CPCA), that is referenced in the Mountain View Voice article above, detailing the specific secondary effects of medical marijunan dispensaries, reported by law enforcement:

-Street level dealers attempting to sell to people entering the business.

-Smoking of marijuana in public areas.

-Increased “driving while under the influence of marijuana” violations.

-Attempted burglaries of marijuana establishments.

-Robberies of clients as they left businesses with their purchase.

-Purchasers congregating and smoking marijuana in areas frequented by children.

-Trading of marijuana purchased at a dispensary to a minor for sex.

-Adverse impact on neighboring businesses.

This is not the entire list, just the highlights.

I’ve gotta laugh when I read all this pro and con discussion for medical marijuana. One group has largely been left out of the discussion. It’s a group I’m a part of. I’m a habitual recreational user of marijuana and probably light up a joint at least five or six times a week. The medical marijuana scene has made it much easier and cheaper for me to buy it and use it so I can get high. That’s right, get high. Anyone have a problem with that? I like to get high, and I do it not because I have some medical condition but so I can just inhale and tune out for a while. I also know for a fact that Lustig likes to get high just as well, so don’t go thinking he’s some sort of innocent healer. Man, I have to howl with laughter when I read the stuff he is quoted as saying. I don’t know who the pro-medical marijuana users are kidding, because I also know for a fact that many of us recreational users get our fix from the loophole created by dispensaries. And let’s not forget that the police no longer care if you are caught carrying a joint or two. So what’s the big deal. It’s been great getting high so easily, without worrying about the fuzz ruining your good time. Besides, I never liked buying my weed from the common criminals that normally used to supply me. BTW, it can get pretty dangerous purchasing it from the regular supply lines. Those guys are scary–who can forget that kid who got killed a few years back in a drug deal (marijuana) gone bad. So you all need to get off your high horses on both sides and ignore the pink elephant standing in the room. For those of you for it, you know darn well there are plenty of us using it too get high as a kite, and don’t dare think that we haven’t sniff a little coke along with it on special occasions. And for those of you against it, let just be real that the stuff works for some people and that more people than you imagine are using it for recreational use and really would like to see it legalized. There you go. I said what had to be said. Now please, both sides, start addressing the topic with my group in the discussion.

Concerned Parent: Why do you think a medical marijuana dispensary would encourage crime? Medical marijuana is legal in the state of California, and patients are not criminals. The medical marijuana issue is a wonderful way to teach compassion to your children, as well as helping them understand the way politicians can undermine both the medical establishment and the will of the people.

The biggest problem with medical marijuana dispensaries is that there aren’t enough of them. So people have to travel from all over to get to them. This is a direct result of California cities and towns (like Los Altos, Los Gatos, Saratoga and Gilroy) subverting the will of the people and blocking dispensaries. Mountain View should take a courageous, pro-patient stand and allow as many well-run dispensaries as the city can support.

I think that the city council is concerned that opening this legal business would prevent someone from building a dense development that would create street-clogging traffic. They arent anti-medicine, they are just pro-gridlock

If someone proposes a 15 story, 500 unit per acre, 1 parking spot per 10,000 square foot dispensary in the middle of an underparked neighborhood, I’m sure the city would be all over it.

Our local politicians are beholden to other interests and could care less about the will of the people who voted for this or the patients in need of alternatives to perscription drugs. Im a patient and I VOTE!

As a nonsmoker with two young daughters, I totally support having a marijuana dispensory in Mountain View. Do some research yourself; filter out hyperbole on both sides of the issue.

this is 2010 & we are still fighting for prop 215! I go out of my way & only buy from a dispensory that charges tax in order to support our cause! Once & for all pot will be legal for EVERYONE over 21 just like alchol once November comes & we can vote on it and our state budget will be in the BLACK with all the tax revenue!

This reminds me a lot of slavery. Imagine when blacks were freed…now imagine individual city governments overruling the constituency and denying their freedom….. hello los altos, los gatos, and santa clara. I hope our city council finds justice for our sick and suffering by executing the will of the majority.

I’d suggest you all take a look at how
this being handled in other communities –
specifically Oakland and San Francisco.
Find out what problems, if any, those communities
are having.
If you have sketchy individuals running the
dispensary and/or sketchy people buying from the
dispensary you will more than likely have problems.
If you have responsible individuals running a business
and responsible people shopping there it will not be
an issue.

In regards to Big John’s comment – aren’t cigarettes and alcohol
‘gateway drugs’?

God spoke to Noah and his sons….

Every moving thing that liveth shall be food for you; as the green herb have I given you all.

There should be dispensaries in Mountain View. It will still be overpriced, but I for one would appreciate the convenience of one being closer than having to use up half my gas tank just to get my medication.

As for “illegal reselling,” the price of club pot is expensive as it is. I can’t picture anyone reselling it and actually turning a profit. What I CAN picture is the City of Mountain View gaining a substantial amount of money in sales taxes. I don’t mind paying regular sales tax on my medicinal marijuana, just like anyone would pay sales tax in any other pharmacy or any other place for that matter.

As you can see here, the people who support dispensaries in MV are not afraid to list reasons why they support it. But the people who don’t support dispensaries aren’t really saying legitimate reasons to explain their side.

I am the 3rd generation to live in Mountain View, and I have lived here my entire life. My family has been here since the early 60’s.

Bottomline: In the democratically-governed land we live in, Mountain View PATIENTS want dispensaries in their hometown. We have police officers on our payroll for a reason, to serve and protect everyone, including marijuana PATIENTS. Your children will not be in harms way anymore than they are now by going to school and sitting in classrooms that are full of drug dealers with or without a dispensary in town. In my opinion, if you don’t support patients having a safe, legal, closeby place to obtain their medication, then shame on you. If they vote against it, then shame on the politicans. If we can’t have a dispensary in Mountain View, then we it only seems fair we should get rid of all the other pharmacies in town as well, incuding the one at Kaiser, El Camino, CVS, etc. And don’t forget the liqour stores and cigarettes. Don’t drug dealers pay retail prices and sales taxes and sell those on the street for profit too? Makes sense right? “Why would I buy pot legally from a club when I could buy the same pot illegaly from a dealer and spend more?”… And for the record, I’d feel safer driving someone who is stoned than someone who has been drinking.

I’ve read the California Police Chiefs’ white paper. Here it is so you can judge for yourself:
http://www.procon.org/sourcefiles/CAPCAWhitePaperonMarijuanaDispensaries.pdf

It strikes me as quite biased. The police have a vested interest in keeping marijuana illegal. It’s good for business. It’s a lot less dangerous for them to bust people for marijuana possession than it is for them to go after violent criminals.

The argument that marijuana dispensaries get burglarized and therefore increase the crime rate is a specious argument. By that logic, jewelry stores should not be allowed to open in Mountain View because they might attract burglars.

Please join the movement to legalize marijuana in California. Visit http://taxcannabis2010.org

As a homeowner in Mtn View and a healthcare provider, I strongly encourage the city to consider having a medicinal marijuania dispensary. It is legal, it serves a need, and this is a business that will generate revenue for the city. Let’s hope that rational thought prevails.

So what? Get a clue: it’s already here. Let’s reap the benefits, and get it under control.

If you disagree with Medical Marijuana, YOU are living in the wrong state.

Second, Medical Marijuana DOES NOT cause crime. Recession and depression cause crime.

Third, GOD made Marijuana and is SAFE.

Have you ever noticed how many disabled parking spots are occupied by
people that “APPEARED” so healthy they could run a marathon while carrying 200 Lbs and standing on their heads? YAH, that’s right.

NOT EVERYONE SUFFERS VISIBLY.

Secondary effects of crime you say? Well if that is a concern, we should close down every bar in California and stop the production of wine at immediately!

From the same article in the LA Daily newspaper referenced above, as quoted by the same police chief, Chief Charlie Beck:

“The statistics do not include crime at ATM machines, bank outlets in markets or crimes committed on the property surrounding banks or medical marijuana dispensaries.

He also acknowledged that banks report all their robberies to authorities, while some medical marijuana facilities may not.

“This is just a snapshot, a statistic. It doesn’t reflect quality of life issues, it doesn’t reflect the things the public complains about (regarding) medical marijuana locations,” Beck said. “It does give you some idea of (what the) level of crime is.”

Need to read the fine print folks, glossing over the details makes all the difference.

Actually, the fine print shows that banks are more likely to be robbed than dispensaries using the data REPORTED by banks and dispensaries.

The fine print also says that banks report ALL robberies, whereas dispensaries may not.

Finally,the fine print states that this data does not describe quality of life issues, nor other effects that the public typically complains about regarding medical marijuana locations.

I need to make a correction to my initial comment: SELECTIVE reading of the fine print is just as bad as glossing over the details. Both give a slanted version of the truth.

You mean the quality of life for those patients who really depend on marijuana to help ease their pain? No. You mean your quality of life, for having to know that a dispensary is open in your city. Well obviously we all feel your pain Hardin.

Medical Marijuana is in the proverbial between a rock and a hard place. It needs the “medical” label in order to disassociate itself from marijuana, and its questionable history in modern society. Without the label, there is nothing to distinguish between recreational use and medicinal use.

And even with the label, no system exists that effectively controls its use. Recreational users are looking forward to these dispensaries as much as people who use it to manage symptoms are, and getting the appropriate documentation to buy medical marijuana is just a mouse click away.

At the same time, there is scant scientific, pharmacological data that supports marijuana to be classified as a legal drug. The data cited in this discussion, such as the DEA’s opinion from a dissenting judge, and the FDA comparison of marijuana with other approved medications has been taken so far out of context and glossed over that it has holes large enough to drive a Hummer through.

Hence, medical marijuana is forced to plan B, which is to setup its own system of distribution, that has no controls that traditional medicine possess, and is owned and operated by those who have a vested interest in the industry.

The simple fact is we don’t regulate drugs in this country based on their INTENDED USE. We regulate them based on their known physiological effects on the human body, generated by volumes of testing and a thorough review process, that in turn determines the amount of regulation and control needed. Something as benign as aspirin is required to go through these tests, but so far medical marijuana has escaped such scrutiny.

This is not to conclude that marijuana does not have any medical benefits or uses, but that there isn’t enough data at this time to justify it being called medicine, and certainly not enough to justify supporting its distribution on a municipal level.

Calling marijuana “medicine” doesn’t make it so, no more than slapping a kippah on a pig makes it kosher.

I’d like to see coca leaves legalized. For centuries indigenous groups have used coca leaves for their healing power. I’d like to see a dispensary opened in Mountain View for coca leaves. We should not deprive people of this right. Where is the COMPASSION in this city. Shame on all of you who would be against legalizing coca leaves.

We are fighting dispensaries in Santa Barbara, too. Pot is already legal in collectives. Cities are crazy for opening themselves to the liability of pot shops before case law has figured out what 215 has done. I thought Mountain View was a nice town, like SB. It’ll be sad when all of CA is stoned and addicted to pot, just to satisfy the 10% of you who want to light up a fat one.

Prop 215- was passed to allow patients to grow and possess marijuana and when they get caught to have an affirmative defense in court against prosecution. There is no language that allows the sale of marijuana.

SB 420- clarified Prop 215 and created an ID card that prohibits the holder from being arrested for possession or cultivation. There is no language that allows the sale of marijuana.

The courts have clarified that there is no provision for selling marijuana in either Prop 215 or SB 420. The courts have shown that only a caregiver can assist a patient in obtaining marijuana. No dispensaries qualify as “caregivers” under current case law.

Voters decided not to pass Prop 19 to allow people over 21 to possess marijuana.

All dispensaries are illegal retail outlets for marijuana under current law. There is nothing in any law or court decision that allows for the sale of marijuana. The City Council will be going against the voters and the courts if they create these ordinances to allow the sale of marijuana in dispensaries.

They might as well just legalize marijuana within the city. That way there is no more confusion as to what is illegal and not illegal. Because there is no difference between the dispensaries and the street dealers, other than the dispensaries can afford a storefront.