Ron Strider
Well-Known Member
The San Francisco Planning Commission late Thursday approved former Oakland Mayor Jean Quan and her husband Floyd Huen's permit application for a medical marijuana dispensary.
The commission's 5-1 vote allows Quan's husband, internal medicine doctor Floyd Huen, to open the Sunset District's first dispensary and the region's first bilingual (Cantonese/English) and cultural medical pot store, according to the city's planning department.
Quan and Huen fought off opposition led by conservative legal defense group Pacific Justice Institute, which rallied hundreds of residents who waited for hours to speak at a hearing that ended minutes before midnight. The meeting started at 5 p.m.
"This has been an education in Bay Area politics," Quan told the planning commission. "A lot of people were told things that were absolute lies. They were told it was illegal, it was poisonous, that we were going to give it out" like candy to children.
Huen, an internal medicine physician, plans to open the dispensary seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. at 2505 Noriega St., which was previously the home of Ace Pharmacy. The permit is for on-site sale and delivery. Huen is partnering with Apothecarium, which operates a dispensary in the Castro serving an estimated 3,500 patients who live in the Sunset.
Opponents at Thursday's hearing, many of them living in the predominantly Chinese American neighborhood, listed concerns of traffic, marijuana odor and the storefront's proximity to schools, but no legal arguments strong enough to block the proposal.
"This dispensary on Noriega is very close to schools I have worked with," said Lynn Fox, a retired San Francisco State University secondary education professor and promoter of drug-free schools. "A lot of children can be affected by this."
Screams of "not fair" followed the vote taken at 11:39 p.m.
Both Huen and Quan have been long supporters of medical marijuana. Huen has prescribed it to patients with chronic pain since the passing of Proposition 215 that legalized medical marijuana in California in 1996. As a councilwoman in 2004, Quan wrote the legislation which paved the way for Oakland to become an early supporter of dispensaries.
The couple plan to offer discounts to low-income patients and veterans. The dispensary is expected to open in 2018.
"Last night's decision was a huge victory for Sunset cannabis patients," Huen said in a statement. "Health care happens in-person. Patients deserve a well-run dispensary in their own neighborhood where they can receive consultations about their medication and dosage."
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Former Oakland Mayor Jean Quan to open medical pot shop
Author: David DeBolt
Contact: Contact Us – East Bay Times
Photo Credit: Ray Chavez
Website: East Bay Times - Contra Costa and Alameda county news, sports, entertainment, lifestyle and commentary
The commission's 5-1 vote allows Quan's husband, internal medicine doctor Floyd Huen, to open the Sunset District's first dispensary and the region's first bilingual (Cantonese/English) and cultural medical pot store, according to the city's planning department.
Quan and Huen fought off opposition led by conservative legal defense group Pacific Justice Institute, which rallied hundreds of residents who waited for hours to speak at a hearing that ended minutes before midnight. The meeting started at 5 p.m.
"This has been an education in Bay Area politics," Quan told the planning commission. "A lot of people were told things that were absolute lies. They were told it was illegal, it was poisonous, that we were going to give it out" like candy to children.
Huen, an internal medicine physician, plans to open the dispensary seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. at 2505 Noriega St., which was previously the home of Ace Pharmacy. The permit is for on-site sale and delivery. Huen is partnering with Apothecarium, which operates a dispensary in the Castro serving an estimated 3,500 patients who live in the Sunset.
Opponents at Thursday's hearing, many of them living in the predominantly Chinese American neighborhood, listed concerns of traffic, marijuana odor and the storefront's proximity to schools, but no legal arguments strong enough to block the proposal.
"This dispensary on Noriega is very close to schools I have worked with," said Lynn Fox, a retired San Francisco State University secondary education professor and promoter of drug-free schools. "A lot of children can be affected by this."
Screams of "not fair" followed the vote taken at 11:39 p.m.
Both Huen and Quan have been long supporters of medical marijuana. Huen has prescribed it to patients with chronic pain since the passing of Proposition 215 that legalized medical marijuana in California in 1996. As a councilwoman in 2004, Quan wrote the legislation which paved the way for Oakland to become an early supporter of dispensaries.
The couple plan to offer discounts to low-income patients and veterans. The dispensary is expected to open in 2018.
"Last night's decision was a huge victory for Sunset cannabis patients," Huen said in a statement. "Health care happens in-person. Patients deserve a well-run dispensary in their own neighborhood where they can receive consultations about their medication and dosage."
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Former Oakland Mayor Jean Quan to open medical pot shop
Author: David DeBolt
Contact: Contact Us – East Bay Times
Photo Credit: Ray Chavez
Website: East Bay Times - Contra Costa and Alameda county news, sports, entertainment, lifestyle and commentary
