Berkeley Dispensaries Must Give Free Weed to Low-Income Patients
In a landmark decision to serve the underprivileged of the East Bay, the Berkeley City Council UNANIMOUSLY voted last week to provide small amounts of free medical marijuana to low-income and homeless patients. Whoa.
According to the new ordinance, dispensaries in the area must give away weed equal to at least 2 percent of their sales to the appropriate demographic—defined as half the area’s median annual income: $32,000 or less for an individual and $46,000 for a family of four.
"It's an equity issue," council member Darryl Moore explained to Reuters. "We want to ensure that those who are in need have access to the medication necessary to treat their condition."
Plus, the freebies can’t be schwag weed. The law includes a clause that the “medical cannabis provided under this section shall be the same quality on average as marijuana dispensed to other members.”
But don’t think you can just walk up to any dispensary's window with an empty hand and expect to get irie goods; only card-carrying patients with prescriptions will have dibs on free mary jane.
"It’s about the best medicine for the lowest possible cost for people in need,” Charles Pappas, a member of the city’s Medical Cannabis Commission, added.
Although the decision has received a lot of attention over the past week, it’s nothing new for Berkeley. In fact, the Berkeley Patient has been doling out free cannabis to the poor for more than 15 years.
As part of the vote, the city also increased the number of dispensaries allowed from three to four, and will consider amending it to six by the end of 2015. The ordinance will not become law until final approval in August.
And how can the govt just order a business to give away a product? Does the Berkley city council have a similar requirement for phizer and other drug companies?
And how can the govt just order a business to give away a product? Does the Berkley city council have a similar requirement for phizer and other drug companies?
Berkeley is where my liberal card goes to die.
It's the People's Republic of Berkeley! They can order businesses to do whatever they want!
I think in this instance, because the dispensaries have to be licensed by the town, the town can impose conditions on the licenses.
I don't think the dispensaries are going to pick up and leave, because it's Berkeley. Business is great!!
To be fair, the City of Berkeley has been GREAT to the dispensaries, helping them find locations that don't violate zoning laws, and has been going to bat for them with the Feds, even filing a lawsuit against the Feds challenging the way they enforce med mj laws. So it's payback time.
It's just that payback is completely ridiculous. I mean, I have no problem with medical marijuana but let's be serious.
Not to mention, all the drug testing for food stamp people are going to go WILD over this.
And how can the govt just order a business to give away a product? Does the Berkley city council have a similar requirement for phizer and other drug companies?
Berkeley is where my liberal card goes to die.
Perhaps. But it's pretty awesome that a place like that exists in the world.
Hey, is there one on san Pablo? Or is the weed smell by my office coincidence?
Sent from my EVO
Yes. There is one next to the Smoke (a BBQ place, not a pot place!). Business has been great for them since Berkeley Patients Group moved next door! I was walking by once, and this woman came out of the dispensary holding a grocery bag full of stuff. It seriously took major self restraint to keep myself from asking her what one buys at the pot dispensary that fills a grocery bag.
And how can the govt just order a business to give away a product? Does the Berkley city council have a similar requirement for phizer and other drug companies?
Berkeley is where my liberal card goes to die.
The city required my biotech site to allow a union as a condition of the last buy out. And it was agreed to. Or so I'm told. That happened while I was still in college.
FTR we do give away free/low cost drugs to low income patients. But people kinda die without our stuff.
And how can the govt just order a business to give away a product? Does the Berkley city council have a similar requirement for phizer and other drug companies?
Berkeley is where my liberal card goes to die.
Perhaps. But it's pretty awesome that a place like that exists in the world.
Look, I don't doubt that there's some poor old dude getting chemo that would benefit from a joint. But it's not a secret that there a doctors that hand out prescriptions to anyone who walks in their door. The vast majority of people benefiting from free weed are probably going to be grad students with made up ailments, not legitimately sick, poor people. The city should have just hiked the taxes and funded a free clinic.
Hey, is there one on san Pablo? Or is the weed smell by my office coincidence?
Sent from my EVO
Yes. There is one next to the Smoke (a BBQ place, not a pot place!). Business has been great for them since Berkeley Patients Group moved next door! I was walking by once, and this woman came out of the dispensary holding a grocery bag full of stuff. It seriously took major self restraint to keep myself from asking her what one buys at the pot dispensary that fills a grocery bag.
And how can the govt just order a business to give away a product? Does the Berkley city council have a similar requirement for phizer and other drug companies?
Berkeley is where my liberal card goes to die.
The city required my biotech site to allow a union as a condition of the last buy out. And it was agreed to. Or so I'm told. That happened while I was still in college.
FTR we do give away free/low cost drugs to low income patients. But people kinda die without our stuff.
Sent from my EVO
Come on now. Those School of Music PhD candidates will totally die without a hit from their bong. Well, not literally die, but you know, their spirit, their spirit will die, man. Be cool.
Perhaps. But it's pretty awesome that a place like that exists in the world.
Look, I don't doubt that there's some poor old dude getting chemo that would benefit from a joint. But it's not a secret that there a doctors that hand out prescriptions to anyone who walks in their door. The vast majority of people benefiting from free weed are probably going to be grad students with made up ailments, not legitimately sick, poor people. The city should have just hiked the taxes and funded a free clinic.
You are totally missing the point. FREE WEED! I fully support free weed.
Hey, is there one on san Pablo? Or is the weed smell by my office coincidence?
Sent from my EVO
Yes. There is one next to the Smoke (a BBQ place, not a pot place!). Business has been great for them since Berkeley Patients Group moved next door! I was walking by once, and this woman came out of the dispensary holding a grocery bag full of stuff. It seriously took major self restraint to keep myself from asking her what one buys at the pot dispensary that fills a grocery bag.
It's Berkeley so please tell me it was a reusable grocery bag, right? It would make this story way more hilarious!
Post by downtoearth on Jul 11, 2014 1:55:54 GMT -5
Oh and when we get older we'll be telling our kids about "we used to have to trudge uphill 5 miles in a snowstorm to get our weed." And the kids will be rolling their eyes saying, "Yeah right... weed is free to poor college students with cards."
Yes. There is one next to the Smoke (a BBQ place, not a pot place!). Business has been great for them since Berkeley Patients Group moved next door! I was walking by once, and this woman came out of the dispensary holding a grocery bag full of stuff. It seriously took major self restraint to keep myself from asking her what one buys at the pot dispensary that fills a grocery bag.
It's Berkeley so please tell me it was a reusable grocery bag, right? It would make this story way more hilarious!
So I just learned that apparently the pot clinics in Berkeley have been giving out free weed to poor people FOR YEARS. The city just codified it because they are licensing a new dispensary, and they don't want that one to get all selfish and not share the weed with the poor.
There must be a limit, right? I'm guessing it's up to whatever the limit is in the CA medical marijuana law, which I can't remember at the moment. But I think it's substantial.
There must be a limit, right? I'm guessing it's up to whatever the limit is in the CA medical marijuana law, which I can't remember at the moment. But I think it's substantial.
I'm told that paying customers can get an ounce of pot a day, which apparently is a lot of pot.
I don't know how it's doled out to poor people. I wonder if they get pot stamps.
There must be a limit, right? I'm guessing it's up to whatever the limit is in the CA medical marijuana law, which I can't remember at the moment. But I think it's substantial.
I'm told that paying customers can get an ounce of pot a day, which apparently is a lot of pot.
I don't know how it's doled out to poor people. I wonder if they get pot stamps.
Seriously, though, this thread has MADE MY DAY. Kudos. I cannot stop laughing.