Board upholds appeal, blocks Apothecarium conditional use at 2505 Noriega after lengthy hearing

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Oct. 3 voted 9–2 to uphold an appeal and reverse the Planning Commission’s approval of a conditional use authorization for a proposed medical cannabis dispensary, the Apothecarium, at 2505 Noriega Street in the Outer Sunset.

What the appeal argued: Appellants — represented by attorney Ray Hackie of the Pacific Justice Institute — argued that the proposed dispensary was too close to locations where children congregate, including Arc of Hope Preschool and the Lutheran Church of the Holy Spirit, and that state and local law and public‑policy precedent counsel restricting marijuana businesses near such sensitive uses. The appellant urged the Board to use the discretion in state health and safety law and local planning code to deny the conditional use.

What the proponents said: The Apothecarium's co‑founder Ryan Hudson, physician Floyd Hume and the applicant’s land‑use counsel told supervisors the dispensary would serve local patients — including elderly and monolingual Chinese speakers — and that the business would operate…