Medical Marijuana: Largest Provider Closed, Some Alternatives Available
San Francisco's largest medical marijuana buyers' club, the Cannabis Healing Center, was shut down on May 25 due to a court order obtained by state Attorney General Dan Lungren--creating an emergency for thousands of persons with serious illnesses who were obtaining marijuana from the Center and are unable to get relief from any other treatment.City officials are exploring ways to help patients obtain marijuana legally when it is medically recommended by their physicians. Meanwhile, three smaller buyers' clubs remain open in San Francisco, and there are others elsewhere in the state--although these will not be able to meet the needs of everyone, due to limited staff and the intensive checking of documentation required.
The three in San Francisco differ in their documentation requirements and their services:
ACT UP/San Francisco, 864-6686, may accept an identification card from the Cannabis Healing Center or Flower Therapy (another medical marijuana group forced to close in San Francisco). Otherwise it requires a letter of diagnosis and a state identification (such as a driver's license).
C.H.A.M.P. (Cannabis Helping Alleviate Medical Problems), 861-1040, is the only remaining center in San Francisco that offers a space where patients can socialize with each other and smoke cannabis there if they wish. C.H.A.M.P. requires a physician's letter written within the last 30 days which states the illness diagnosed and which either recommends or approves cannabis for the illness, and states that the physician will continue to monitor the patient; a form letter is available from C.H.A.M.P. Identification can be a current California drivers license or ID, passport, or SSI letter.
Market Street Club, 861-1864, requires a photo identification by a state or Federal agency--for example, a drivers license, passport, or military ID; it also requires a letter of diagnosis, and letter of recommendation, by a medical doctor. A patient can bring the same letters they used at clubs that have closed, even if on the other club's stationery. Documentation must be the original (not a photocopy); the club will make copies for its records and return the originals.
Also nearby is the Oakland Cannabis Buyers' Cooperative, 510-832-5346. It requires a physician's letter of recommendation (within the last six months) that can be verified, and a current identification.
On June 1 the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed a resolution urging the city attorney, with the district attorney, to draft legislation for emergency distribution of medical marijuana. The goal is to develop a system that will have the best possible chance to withstand legal challenge, and especially to minimize legal liability of city employees. Even if everything goes well, it will probably take two months or more for any new system to be set up.
Comment
San Francisco health, law enforcement, and other departments have been working for months on guidelines for medical marijuana, consistent with California Proposition 215 (see text below). Proposition 215 does not override Federal laws against marijuana, but in practice Federal authorities usually leave marijuana enforcement to state or local jurisdictions, unless large quantities are involved.
We hope that official guidelines or supervised distribution systems will make provisions for patients and their caregivers to grow their own marijuana if they choose, as they are allowed to do under Proposition 215--including growing collectively in a community garden for those unable to do so at home. Then the price could be reduced to about the cost of garden tools and fertilizer. This is important because many patients are already under severe financial pressure because of their illness.
Also, there is an urgent need for organizations which will consistently help patients to tell their personal stories--for example, providing professional video feed to national news media, and referring reporters to patients willing to be interviewed..
Election Note
California Attorney General Lungren's closure of the Cannabis Healing Center also shut the campaign office of Dennis Peron, who had founded the previous Cannabis Buyers' Club at that site and was running for governor against Lungren in the Republican primary on June 2. Peron's staff was later given a few hours to remove their campaign equipment and materials. Many phone calls in the critical get-out-the-vote week before the election were unable to get through.
