Pubdate: Wed, 26 Jan 2011
Source: San Francisco Bay Guardian, The (CA)
Copyright: 2011 San Francisco Bay Guardian
Contact:  http://www.sfbg.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/387
Author: Steven T. Jones
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?115 (Cannabis - California)

STATE OF THE WEED

Cannabis Issue: Medical Cannabis Industry Thrives Even As the Economy 
and Legalization Movement Sputter

CANNABIS When we did our first Cannabis Issue a year ago, the Bay 
Area's medical marijuana industry was booming, and there was high 
anticipation that California would soon legalize weed for everyone.

Proposition 19 divided even those who fully support decriminalizing 
cannabis - partly because the existing system was working so well in 
San Francisco and many other cities, so people were wary of an 
uncertain future - and voters rejected the measure in November.

But only the most dogmatic anti-drug warrior would take that vote as 
a repudiation of the wonder weed, because California's love affair 
with its top crop today is stronger than ever. And the burgeoning 
industry that grows, processes, and delivers marijuana continues to 
expand rapidly amid a stagnating larger economy.

Three new high-end cannabis dispensaries have opened in San Francisco 
in the last six months, bringing to 25 the number of licensed clubs, 
and the selection and quality of indoor and outdoor buds, 
concentrates, and edibles has never been greater. The industry's many 
opportunities are starting to attract top talent from unrelated 
sectors of the economy, such as Mark Williams and Nic duTemps.

Williams recently quit his job at Apple to start CloudNine, which is 
developing a high-quality portable vaporizer called Firefly that will 
be assembled here in San Francisco and released this summer. Unlike 
current vaporizers made of plastic that use butane heaters to release 
the cannabanoids from the weed without burning it, Firefly is made of 
metal and glass with customizable wood inlays, uses advanced 
batteries in its heating element, and will retail for about $300.

"I decided now is the time," Williams, 42, said of his decision to 
leave the corporate cubicle world after 20 years. "The market is 
maturing and the users' ability to make a discerning choice about how 
they're going to take marijuana is maturing."

DuTemps worked in public relations for many years and she also jumped 
ship to do something she loves a few years ago: landscaping backyard 
gardens. "But then the bottom fell out of the economy," she said, and 
people growing marijuana were the only ones who still wanted her expertise.

Yet the supply of cannabis products had grown faster than the number 
of dispensaries and delivery outlets in recent years. "The clubs were 
becoming incredibly flooded," duTemps said. "People have found 
themselves with copious amounts of product and nowhere to sell it."

So she decided to marry her PR expertise with her cannabis 
connections and last month started Sweeter Made, a medical marijuana 
cooperative and delivery service that uses an old meter maid vehicle 
for deliveries. DuTemps said she loves "the secret thrill of 
delivering medical cannabis, hash, and edibles in something that used 
to give people parking tickets."

They're just a couple of the countless Bay Area residents involved in 
the pot business, an expanding and evolving sector of the economy 
that even cash-strapped government agencies are getting involved in.

Oakland city officials recently stepped back from their ambitious 
plan to permit large-scale pot farms in industrial warehouses, mostly 
because of legal concerns, but that city and Berkeley last year moved 
forward with plans to legitimize and tax the industry at a higher 
rate. And the big next step - full legalization of weed for even 
recreational users - is still lingering on the horizon.

Oaksterdam University founder Richard Lee, who bankrolled placing 
Prop. 19 on the ballot, has announced that he'll try again on the 
November 2012 ballot. He told the Guardian that he's currently 
developing his battle plan, consulting his allies, and determining 
what the measure will look like.

"We're still doing research on what went right and what went wrong," 
Lee told us. "There were lots of people who were for legalization 
that didn't like the details [of Prop. 19]."

For example, the measure allowed counties to set different legal 
standards, potentially creating a logistical nightmare for 
distributing the product. Lee said the new measure will probably 
include statewide standards and some degree of local control, but 
he's still working with groups ranging from the Drug Policy Alliance 
to the NAACP to develop it. Meanwhile, CaNORML, the state chapter of 
the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, will be 
gathering movement leaders together in Berkeley on Jan. 29 for a 
daylong conference titled "Marijuana Reform: Next Steps for California."

While there are differing visions for where the movement is headed 
and over how hard and quickly to push for full legalization, it's 
undeniable that the industry is thriving and here to stay.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom