Pubdate: Thu, 06 Oct 2005
Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA)
Copyright: 2005 Hearst Communications Inc.
Contact:  http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/388

MAYOR CALLS PROPOSED LAW TO REGULATE POT CLUBS TOO SOFT

Legislation regulating medical marijuana clubs in San Francisco that
comes today before a Board of Supervisors committee isn't tough
enough, according to a letter sent by Mayor Gavin Newsom on Wednesday.

Newsom is taking issue specifically with a bill proposed by Supervisor
Ross Mirkarimi, who has spearheaded the effort to standardize how the
approximately 35 pot clubs currently selling marijuana operate in the
city. Under Mirkarimi's proposed legislation, pot clubs could operate
within 500 feet of a school and could sell up to a pound of marijuana
a day to customers.

Since 1996, when a state measure permitting marijuana use for medical
purposes was passed by California voters, San Francisco has become a
haven for operators of medical marijuana dispensaries who now serve
more than 7,000 registered patients. But police say the system is
widely abused, with drug dealers and gang members buying at the clubs
along with patients who have a legitimate need for weed.

Residents complain that the clubs bring traffic into their
neighborhoods where reselling of the marijuana occurs in plain view on
the street. In May, supervisors voted to extend a moratorium on the
establishment of any new pot clubs in the city.

"While I believe the legislation currently being considered by the
board goes a long way to regulating (pot clubs), I have concerns that
it does not go far enough," Newsom wrote in his letter. The mayor is
proposing a 1,000-foot limit from schools, recreation centers and
parks for pot clubs, strict regulations on what type of advertising
the clubs can use and limiting the amount a patient can buy each day
to 8 ounces.

"Considering how large an amount of medical cannabis this amount
represents, I do not believe that our city should increase the amount
of medical cannabis a person can possess to one pound -- as currently
proposed," Newsom wrote. "Such a limit appears to allow an individual
to purchase a full pound of marijuana in a single purchase at a
dispensary."

Mirkarimi said Newsom's proposed restrictions on proximity to schools
would essentially banish pot clubs to the outlying areas of the city,
making it harder for patients to obtain medical marijuana.

"I believe that the mayor is sending a very inconsistent message,"
Mirkarimi said. "In the very recent past he had stated that he would
like to see a regulatory scheme that allows clubs who want to comply
with the law to thrive. But under his letter this would in essence ban
practically all the clubs that exist into areas on the far outskirts
of the city. Those issues need to be reconciled."

The board's Budget and Finance Committee is scheduled today to
consider Mirkarimi's legislation along with additional pot club
ordinances proposed by Supervisors Sean Elsbernd and Gerardo Sandoval.
It is unclear if any of the legislation will be forwarded by the
committee for a vote at the Board of Supervisors. Mirkarimi said he
expected a "healthy debate" on the issue. 
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MAP posted-by: Matt Elrod