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City shuts marijuana co-op

4-5-2005 | SHANNA MCCORD | Santa Cruz Sentinel

SANTA CRUZ — A Pacific Avenue medical marijuana cooperative has been forced to close by the city Planning Department.

The Planning Department demanded the immediate shutdown of Pacific Coast Cooperative on Friday after learning it allowed medical marijuana patients to sell and trade the drug with each other — a violation of the city’s zoning laws.

"They claimed to be a professional consulting business, so we just signed off on it," said Alex Khoury, a principal planner with the Planning Department. "The zoning code clearly distinguishes that that use is not permitted in the downtown commercial district."

Medical marijuana became legal in 1996 when state voters passed Proposition 215. Related businesses are permitted in the city’s community commercial district or the industrial district, streets such as Ocean, Mission, River and Soquel Avenue, Khoury said.

Harvey West Business Park and the Westside’s industrial buildings are examples of where such medical marijuana businesses might locate, he said.

However, Khoury said, the business must be located a maximum distance from schools, parks and homes.

Pacific Coast Cooperative opened six weeks ago and served about 200 people, co-founder Peter Koch said.

The co-op, in a second-floor office facing Pacific Avenue above Internet provider Cruzio and the nightclub Blue Lagoon, is in an office building that also houses an architect, lawyer and unions. The bus station is across the street.

"We’re located across from the Metro for a reason," Koch said. "Half of our patients use the bus and many of our patients don’t drive."

Koch said he and co-founder Matt Hilliard wanted to use the downtown office as a way to fight the stigma often associated with people who smoke medicinal pot and prove its legitimacy.

He and Hilliard figured if they could run a clean and low-key medical marijuana service downtown without bothering other businesses or neighbors, others would become more accepting and understanding.

There are roughly 4,000 medical marijuana patients in Santa Cruz County.

"We did not intend to deceive the Planning Department," Koch said. "We did intend to put something in place that would show what a medical marijuana dispensary or co-op should be like."

Michael Moran, owner of Steamroller Systems Inc., a software development company in the same hall with the co-op, said he had no idea marijuana sales and trades were taking place.

"I have no complaints at all," Moran said. "I’m happy they’re here. They’re fine."

Compassion Flower Inn owner Andrea Tischler said a medical marijuana co-op is needed to help guarantee patients receive top-quality organic cannabis.

Plus, a well-run co-op would prevent medical marijuana patients from having to drive to San Francisco or Oakland to find such services, Tischler said.

"Medical marijuana patients need to have safe access," she said. "They’re not going to have that if they have to buy marijuana on the streets.

"Why not downtown?"

For now, Pacific Coast Cooperative has shut its doors while Hilliard and Koch attempt to work amicably with the city to stay downtown.

If they are unable, Koch said they will relocate.

"If it means they don’t want us here, and we have to move, fine, we’ll move," Koch said. "We’re not renegades. We’re just trying to serve the needs of patients in the community."

A common complaint by medical marijuana opponents is that the practice sends a bad message to youth.

Proposition 215 critics say it was a deceptive and poorly written initiative to exploit public compassion for the sick to legalize and legitimatize the widespread use of marijuana in California.

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"Truth is treason in an empire of lies." -Ron Paul

 

killer12382

There you go again. They have this medpot law on the books but only people who grow their own can take advantage of it. Everyone else is SOL.