San Jose City Council limits pot clubs to 10

[Newsjock]

Source: San Jose Mercury News

A sharply divided San Jose City Council voted Tuesday to limit the number of medical marijuana dispensaries to 10, after more than two hours of debate that seesawed between calls for an outright ban and proposals to permit a larger number of clubs.

The 6-5 vote on a compromise proposal by Vice Mayor Madison Nguyen marked a significant milestone for San Jose, once seen as a medical marijuana void ringed by cities from Santa Cruz to San Francisco and Oakland permitting small numbers of providers.

But since 2009, when San Jose first considered allowing some medical marijuana clubs, the city has seen as many as 125 open up, even though none are allowed under city law. The unchecked proliferation of the clubs has drawn complaints from residents and businesses who have called the unregulated dispensaries a nuisance and asked the city to ban them.

... The proposal approved Tuesday would limit the collectives to two per council district and not allow them in areas with substantial pedestrian traffic. The collectives would have to grow their marijuana on-site and not purchase it on the gray market as many do now. Background checks would screen applicants for misdemeanor and felony convictions.

Read more: http://www.mercurynews.com/top-stories/ci_17886198

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First reader comment at the link:

It's physically impossible for a club with 10,000 patients to grow enough on site to serve all of them. Even if you have 300, 1000w lights inside of a 6000sf building producing 300 lbs of marijuana every 3 months that will only cover less than 1 months supply and will leave san jose with 10 massive grow sites. Talk about a HUGE target from the Feds and robbery. Good job messing this one up SJ....

[poverlay]

1. How are they a "nuisance", and WalMart is not? Not to mention those damn Circle Ks everywhere! n/t

[uncle ray]

2. they should make wal mart manufacture all their products onsite.

i'd like to see them apply that rule to any other retailer.

[Freddie Stubbs]

3. If they are similar to some of the 'pain clinics' prevelent in South Florida, there may be a variety

of problems.

The pain clinics are sometimes in residential areas, and have operated as doctors offices for many years. But the doctors at pain clinics see a much higher number of patients per hour than regular doctors. There is often a line of people waiting at the door for the clinic to open, and the people in line are often junkies who are causing problems like noise and public urination.

[byronius]

4. Eh. In Sacramento, they're usually in residential areas, and very few people even know.

Besides, there's worse things. Like Republican Headquarters. (shudder)

[NM Independent]

8. I don't appreciate your association of junkies with chronic pain patients, in fact..

I'm really sick and f'ing tired of that stereo typing bullshit. So tired of it, that every time I hear it I am going to call it out.

So, there ya go.

[sarcasmo]

9. +1

[ManOutOfTime]

6. Seriously!

Our main problem in SJ is the lack of sales-tax-generating businesses; quality-of-life-wise, our problem is parking, followed by traffic. 10, 20, or 50 small light industrial sites will not make a dent in the quality of life in this city. Interestingly, there is no limit on tobacco smoke shops or hydroponic supplies stores (there's a new one on a formerly blighted corner lot at Montgomery & Auzurais), for example, and it seems to me both of these uses are more impactful on the quality of life due to traffic and parking.

If the CC has a problem with a given use they should have the courage to say so rather than resorting to non-arguments. To the extent tobacco and alcohol sales are limited because of what the products are, there are legitimate reasons. Cap clubs because you think they are undesirable? Vote your conscience, CC! Maybe you'll face a challenge you from the Pot Club ticket in the fall, maybe (probably) you won't ... ;-)

[AndyTiedye]

5. This is Effectively a Ban

since the restrictions would be all but impossible to comply with, and if you did, the Feds would come after you.

[worldbfree]

7. Well thats just great news on 4-20

another, "compromise" which is actually another failure on the part of our so called representative democracy and it's inability to make reasonable, wise decisions. They see that there is a huge demand here and at the same time they know that the corporatists' have pledged loyalty to their grand wizard Grover Norquist in writing to destroy democracy via cutting taxes for big business and the investor class. Why not allow as many as the free market can handle in any district away from schools and homes, and allowed to purchase from licensed local /California growers in any amount needed to keep up with demand and taxed similar to alcohol and tobacco which would help solve the manufactured "budget crisis". It a no brain-er and yet somehow the few selfish & greedy get their demands met again and will be the owners of all ten mega marijuana outlets using outsourced child labor to work the fields.