An upscale medical marijuana dispensary has opened in Kentfield, complete with sleek hardwood floors, reed diffusers that emit aromatherapy scents and gourmet-style savory foods and desserts.
The operation, called the Marin Wellness Center, is the second medical-marijuana collective that has opened in unincorporated Marin and is under scrutiny by Marin County officials.
Operated by Mill Valley resident Vivian Kaufman, who owns the building at 1100 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., the small collective of about 50 patients opened about a month ago.
It was inspired by the struggle of Kaufman's ex-husband, who died one year ago from lung cancer, Kaufman said Friday. Ambivalent about medical marijuana before his illness, Kaufman was inspired by how much better he felt after taking his "medicine."
"Watching what it did for him ... it was remarkable," she said. "It made me dig deeper into my feelings and what happens to people when they are sick, almost like a way to create something in the community I live in.
"We're not dopies," she said. "We don't want to walk into these shady environments. This is a place for people like me, like you."
The collective's offices across from the College of Marin resemble more a day spa than a dispensary. In addition to buds, the shop features pot-infused items for those who cannot smoke, such as liquid drops to put in iced tea, hot green and black teas, pestos, quiches and cheese scones. Employees use keycards to access the area that houses the product, which is protected by steel doors and security cameras.
The collective follows the debut of Tree of Life, a dispensary that opened earlier this year in Santa Venetia east of San Rafael in unincorporated Marin. County inspectors recently planned a visit to Tree of Life, a small business that has been operating in recent weeks at 292 N. San Pedro Road, less than a mile east of the Marin Civic Center. The collective is now the subject of a code enforcement operation and has been ordered to close its doors, county officials said.
Tree of Life was the first dispensary in the unincorporated portion of the county. Other Marin dispensaries include Marin Alliance for Medical Marijuana in Fairfax; Marin Holistic Solutions and Going Green in Corte Madera; and Caregiver Compassion Center in Sausalito.
County officials said they intend to follow up with the Kentfield operation in a similar manner.
"We are aware of the dispensary obviously and our staff has been in contact with an attorney who is representing the owner for that particular facility and we are making arrangements to conduct a visit to the site to confirm that the property in question is being used for that purpose," said Brian Crawford, director of the county's Community Development Agency.
"We fully expect to confirm that given what we've been told already. After that site visit in terms of next steps we would send an enforcement letter to the property owner requiring them to cease operations and contact us about that, similar to the letter we sent to the Tree of Life facility in Santa Venetia."
Scot Candell, attorney for the Marin Wellness Center, who said he e-mailed the county when the collective opened for business, said he welcomed a dialogue.
"I sent them an e-mail inviting them," he said. "They have not yet responded. I look forward to giving them a tour when they respond.
"I encourage, as there is an election (for supervisor and sheriff-coroner) coming up, that people in favor of medical marijuana let their representatives know," he said.
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: Contra Costa Times
Author: Jennifer Upshaw Swartz
Contact: Contra Costa Times
Copyright: 2010 Bay Area News Group
Website: Medical pot club opens in Kentfield
The operation, called the Marin Wellness Center, is the second medical-marijuana collective that has opened in unincorporated Marin and is under scrutiny by Marin County officials.
Operated by Mill Valley resident Vivian Kaufman, who owns the building at 1100 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., the small collective of about 50 patients opened about a month ago.
It was inspired by the struggle of Kaufman's ex-husband, who died one year ago from lung cancer, Kaufman said Friday. Ambivalent about medical marijuana before his illness, Kaufman was inspired by how much better he felt after taking his "medicine."
"Watching what it did for him ... it was remarkable," she said. "It made me dig deeper into my feelings and what happens to people when they are sick, almost like a way to create something in the community I live in.
"We're not dopies," she said. "We don't want to walk into these shady environments. This is a place for people like me, like you."
The collective's offices across from the College of Marin resemble more a day spa than a dispensary. In addition to buds, the shop features pot-infused items for those who cannot smoke, such as liquid drops to put in iced tea, hot green and black teas, pestos, quiches and cheese scones. Employees use keycards to access the area that houses the product, which is protected by steel doors and security cameras.
The collective follows the debut of Tree of Life, a dispensary that opened earlier this year in Santa Venetia east of San Rafael in unincorporated Marin. County inspectors recently planned a visit to Tree of Life, a small business that has been operating in recent weeks at 292 N. San Pedro Road, less than a mile east of the Marin Civic Center. The collective is now the subject of a code enforcement operation and has been ordered to close its doors, county officials said.
Tree of Life was the first dispensary in the unincorporated portion of the county. Other Marin dispensaries include Marin Alliance for Medical Marijuana in Fairfax; Marin Holistic Solutions and Going Green in Corte Madera; and Caregiver Compassion Center in Sausalito.
County officials said they intend to follow up with the Kentfield operation in a similar manner.
"We are aware of the dispensary obviously and our staff has been in contact with an attorney who is representing the owner for that particular facility and we are making arrangements to conduct a visit to the site to confirm that the property in question is being used for that purpose," said Brian Crawford, director of the county's Community Development Agency.
"We fully expect to confirm that given what we've been told already. After that site visit in terms of next steps we would send an enforcement letter to the property owner requiring them to cease operations and contact us about that, similar to the letter we sent to the Tree of Life facility in Santa Venetia."
Scot Candell, attorney for the Marin Wellness Center, who said he e-mailed the county when the collective opened for business, said he welcomed a dialogue.
"I sent them an e-mail inviting them," he said. "They have not yet responded. I look forward to giving them a tour when they respond.
"I encourage, as there is an election (for supervisor and sheriff-coroner) coming up, that people in favor of medical marijuana let their representatives know," he said.
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: Contra Costa Times
Author: Jennifer Upshaw Swartz
Contact: Contra Costa Times
Copyright: 2010 Bay Area News Group
Website: Medical pot club opens in Kentfield
