Native collectives and dispensaries urge hearing to clarify medical-cannabis land-use definitions

Speakers representing Access of Love, HopeNet and other local medical-cannabis collectives pressed the Planning Commission during general public comment to convene a public hearing to distinguish social-service medical collectives from commercial dispensaries. Testimony described services the groups provide—housing help, harm reduction, veterans support, veterans'meetings and free social services—and argued they should not be required to register as retail medical cannabis dispensaries (MCDs) or face enforcement letters that they say threaten their operations.

Access of Love representatives said they do not accept money from patients and that letters of determination and notices of violation have disrupted their operations and invited "hostile takeovers" of physical sites. HopeNet and other speakers asked the Commission to call a joint hearing with the Department of Public Health and to pause enforcement actions while the city clarifies definitions and the medical-cannabis task force completes its recommendations. Several speakers asked for temporary sanctuary recognition for social-service collectives.

Commissioners expressed sympathy and suggested staging a public forum with relevant city agencies. Commissioner Nalagi and others recommended inviting DPH to offer its view and suggested waiting until the outcome of state-level Proposition 19 (on the Nov. 2010 ballot) and related rule-making was clear before taking formal regulatory steps. The Commission did not take formal action on the matter at this hearing.