Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Medical Cannabis Access topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Sunset dispensary debate brings hundreds of residents to Police Commission meeting; commissioners request crime data
Summary
A crowded public-comment period at the Police Commission meeting saw patients and dispensary advocates press for safe access under Prop 215 while many Sunset neighbors opposed a proposed dispensary near schools; commissioners asked the department to provide statistics on incidents near existing dispensaries and whether the captain’s letter to planning was solicited.
The San Francisco Police Commission on April 28 heard an extended, divided public-comment period on a proposed medical cannabis dispensary in the Sunset/Taraval area, with dozens of residents, patient advocates and dispensary representatives addressing public safety, patient access and community character.
Supporters argued the dispensary would provide necessary medicine to patients who cannot easily travel across town and said regulated dispensaries reduce crime and support community services. "Medical cannabis has been legal since 1996," said Max Del Real, a Sacramento-based advocate, adding that dispensaries can make neighborhoods safer. Multiple patients, including cancer and veteran patients, described medical benefits and urged fair access in the Sunset.
Neighborhood opponents, however, raised concerns about children’s proximity to the proposed site, arguing numerous local schools, tutoring centers and playgrounds make the location inappropriate. A number of Sunset residents said they feared increased public smoking, youth exposure and traffic effects; one resident said, "It's not worth it if it will come at the cost of our neighborhood." Several speakers called for dispensaries to be located inside medical centers instead.
Much of the controversy turned to a letter Captain Denise Schmidt sent to the planning department expressing concerns about the proposed club. Commissioner Petra De Jesus and others questioned whether the letter amounted to police lobbying against a legally permitted business; Commissioner De Jesus asked whether the department had been solicited for input or had sought to sway community opinion. Captain Schmidt said the letter reflected community requests for input and that she had been asked by residents to convey concerns; she also pledged to provide comparative crime and incident statistics for the commission to review at the next meeting.
Several community groups and dispensary operators requested a joint hearing with relevant city commissions to examine planning, public-safety impacts and patient access together. The commission did not take formal action on the dispensary at the meeting but directed staff to obtain and present crime data, as requested by multiple commissioners.
