Welcome to the Shroomery Message Board! You are experiencing a small sample of what the site has to offer. Please login or register to post messages and view our exclusive members-only content. You'll gain access to additional forums, file attachments, board customizations, encrypted private messages, and much more!
Closing Time for Cannabis Clubs
November 14, 2011 - The Bay Citizen
Dispensaries shut down on eve of
Justice Department deadline
On Friday morning, Mel Rosmon, a talkative 58-year-old veteran, paid a
visit to his neighborhood medical marijuana dispensary, Divinity Tree,
as it prepared to shut its doors for good.
As part of a federal crackdown on the state's medical marijuana
industry, U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag ordered the club and dozens of
others to close, because they are near schools and parks where children
play. Divinity Tree -- a small storefront dispensary with a gated door
and security guard -- is located in the Tenderloin, around the block
from Sgt. John Macaulay Park.
Rosmon, a longtime resident of the neighborhood, scoffed at the notion
that the club was a threat to kids who might use the swings and slides
at the playground.
“There’s more dope fiends and junkies in the park smokin’ crack and
shootin’ dope then there’ll ever be in front of this place,” said
Rosmon, standing outside Divinity Tree. “They got this bathroom in
front of that park that’s a junkie paradise, and they’re coming and
obstructing something that’s good for the community!”
Apart from what Rosmon termed “an open-air market for crack, heroin and
meth,” the block in between the playground and Divinity Tree is
occupied by establishments that are not particularly child-friendly.
Directly across the street from the playground is a strip club, the New
Century Theater, which features large posters of semi-nude women on its
exterior walls. On Friday morning, two young boys playing on the parks'
swings could see the New Century marquee advertising a performance by
the “World’s Hottest MILF Lisa Ann” on Thanksgiving weekend.
There are also a number of liquor stores and bars nearby. And there is
the massage parlor called “Susu Spa,” which advertises "oriental
massage," private hot baths and an ATM for the convenience of customers.
Haag declined to comment on Divinity Tree, but reiterated that she has
received numerous letters from concerned parents about pot clubs near
schools and parks.
“We made a decision about how we were going to use our resources,” said
Haag. “Most of the complaints and concerns from citizens are
about the dispensaries being too close schools and parks where children
play.”
The crackdown has heightened tensions between the state, which
legalized the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes in 1996, and the
federal government, which prohibits pot use.
Two other dispensaries in San Francisco -- Medithrive and Mr. Nice Guy
-- closed over the weekend after receiving letters from Haag. There are
still more than 20 pot clubs in San Francisco. In Oakland, Richard Lee,
the leader of the state's marijuana legalization movement, shut down
his dispensary last week only to reopen it three doors down at an
address not cited in Haag's letter.
Charlie Pappas, 64, a Berkeley poet and pot activist, runs Divinity
Tree, which, until Friday, had 5,000 members and 15 employees. He said
he uses marijuana to calm his muscle spasms so he can sleep. Pappas
became a quadriplegic when he was 26, after he was shot during a
robbery.
He said he chose to close up shop rather than fight the federal
government, which threatened his landlord with criminal prosecution and
forfeiture of the property.
“Probably somebody has to be the dispensary that gets smashed by the
DEA and stuff taken,” said Pappas. “We don’t want our workers to go
through it.”
Pappas joined a lawsuit aiming to stop the crackdown. He said he will
shut down his dispensary for a few months and "hope there's enough
backlash and that the lawsuits get something done."
On Friday evening, Pappas watched as the employees removed the plastic
containers of marijuana buds from the dispensary's glass case. Pappas
said he will return the buds to growers. His staff erased the specials
from a white board and wiped down the glass case, removing the
remaining green scraps.
The employees, mostly young men, were emotional; some even cried.
Throughout the day, Luchan Baker, a former security guard, had
customers sign his white Divinity Tree shirt with a green marker. One
man gave Baker a hug, saying, “Well, at least the Raiders won last
night.”
“Yup,” said Baker. “It looks like the Raiders and feds won.”
Quote: s0ulfire said: I hope every person that makes this happen dies....
That's a bit strong. Advocating violence in defense of the movement is only going to harm it. Keep positive!
And being a peace loving, tree hugging hippie is only going to get the movement laughed and scoffed at. You say its harsh... but what about the harsh treatment to smokers? They are treated as if they are murdering people by smoking ganja... makes no sense.. fight fire with hugs? fuck. that.
--------------------
"You can't see California without Marlon Brando's eyes" - Corey Taylor
this just shows how corrupt our government is. our government was founded in a way that the people had the power. but now when they people show that they want something. and over 50% of the population believes this is the right thing to do. the government says. FUCK YOU GUYS. we are the government we do what we want. it is time to revolt. VIVA LA REVOLUTION.
Quote: s0ulfire said: I hope every person that makes this happen dies....
That's a bit strong. Advocating violence in defense of the movement is only going to harm it. Keep positive!
And being a peace loving, tree hugging hippie is only going to get the movement laughed and scoffed at. You say its harsh... but what about the harsh treatment to smokers? They are treated as if they are murdering people by smoking ganja... makes no sense.. fight fire with hugs? fuck. that.
yeah lets give them a reason to treat pot smokers like murderers. thats really smart. lets prove to them that pot smoking is connected with a rising crime rate. hell lets just become nazis and just force our opinions with a genocide. because violence is obviously so productive.....
Quote: s0ulfire said: I hope every person that makes this happen dies....
That's a bit strong. Advocating violence in defense of the movement is only going to harm it. Keep positive!
And being a peace loving, tree hugging hippie is only going to get the movement laughed and scoffed at. You say its harsh... but what about the harsh treatment to smokers? They are treated as if they are murdering people by smoking ganja... makes no sense.. fight fire with hugs? fuck. that.
yeah lets give them a reason to treat pot smokers like murderers. thats really smart. lets prove to them that pot smoking is connected with a rising crime rate. hell lets just become nazis and just force our opinions with a genocide. because violence is obviously so productive.....
You do have a point... but at some time or another... we will need to stand up for ourselves. We are people, treat us like it.
--------------------
"You can't see California without Marlon Brando's eyes" - Corey Taylor
I hope everyone who makes this happens gets hit with giant federal budget cuts and tearfully packs up their office before they get in the unemployment line.
To everyone pissed all ill say is vote Ron Paul! He really is the only one who will put a stop to this right now. If you think he can't win you may want to see the latest poll he is in second place in Iowa right now and if he wins Iowa and does good in New Hampshire he could have a good chance.
An increase in violence ended prohibition. While I'm not a fan of violence, it's an out of control government that waged the war. I believe it's only hippies who think they can change the drug laws with hugs and love. Additionally, what the last guy said Ron Paul 2012
Quote: Directly across the street from the playground is a strip club, the New Century Theater, which features large posters of semi-nude women on its exterior walls. On Friday morning, two young boys playing on the parks' swings could see the New Century marquee advertising a performance by the “World’s Hottest MILF Lisa Ann” on Thanksgiving weekend.
There are also a number of liquor stores and bars nearby. And there is the massage parlor called “Susu Spa,” which advertises "oriental massage," private hot baths and an ATM for the convenience of customers.
This sounds like a bad place for a playground park.
Also, yes, as mentioned drug dealers i'm sure would gladly donate money to help keep drugs illegal to keep their profits coming in.
Also, yes, I am voting for Ron Paul 2012, he is our only presidential hope, even if he is lying, he is the only one bold enough to at least CLAIM he plans to make cannabis legal as a safer alternative for both medicine and for recreational use. Why use opiates for medicine and drink alcohol for recreation when you can be safer and use cannabis for both? We need to get cannabis off the black market and into the legitimate business's so the public will have safe access to it and pay taxes to help our country. In my opinion, they can keep "black market cannabis" illegal as long as there is a legal market for cannabis. Black Market cannabis will always have the risk of people getting ripped off and for that reason, if there was the option to buy it legally from a store, most (if not all) people wouldn't even want to bother with the Black Market and all the problems associated with it.
If cannabis was legal, people would have more respect for the US government, policemen and the DEA.
Quote: guest1 said: If cannabis was legal, people would have more respect for the US government, policemen and the DEA.
I will never have any kind of respect for the DEA. The DEA is a prohibitionist agency aimed at enforcing laws that make people criminals just because they chose to use a drug unaccepted by the general population. The DEA is a federally funded criminal organization by its nature. If we succeed in changing drug policy, there will be no DEA any more.
Quote: skatealex2 said: To everyone pissed all ill say is vote Ron Paul! He really is the only one who will put a stop to this right now. If you think he can't win you may want to see the latest poll he is in second place in Iowa right now and if he wins Iowa and does good in New Hampshire he could have a good chance.
I like Paul's stance on marijuana, but that's about it. He believes that separation of church and state isn't important. He's also very pro-life. I know those may not seem important, but to me they are.
--------------------
Use these substances wisely, they have the ability to cause life altering realizations.
Vote Ron Paul, legalize it, then arm yourself with true & correct knowledge, so that we may fix what is really the root cause of all the evils in this world: www.educate-yourelf.org / www.reluctant-messanger.com
-------------------- Icelander said: I'd like to fund unlimited abortions. Finally some good coming from my tax dollars.
Repetoire89 said: I love abortion and fully condone it - some should make it into a sport.
Treesniper119 said: Any one who is willing to start life & also willing to deny life to their form/seed/child/offspring is cursed. For you have severed your own cord to lifes worth. Anyone who condones these actions is cursed as well...