ARE POT CLUBS CAUSING PROBLEMS IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD?

Terrie Frye, Tenderloin

I am a medical-marijuana patient. There's a not-for-profit dispensary
two doors from my building. Operators are nice, keep the front clean,
no traffic, no smell, no double-parking, etc., as with other
dispensaries I use. NIMBYs complain because they are recreational
users and must buy from dealers. Legalize it!

Jerry Royer, Civic Center

A couple of years ago, we had one half a block away. The patrons of
the club were a messy lot. The worst was when free oranges were given
out at the club. The sidewalk was covered with orange peels for days.
I was glad to see the place closed.

Sherli Chin, South of Market

I live a block from one. I have no need to patronize it, but have had
the opportunity to speak to its employees and customers. The people
who work there are nicer and more concerned about me than any other
retail establishment. If run properly, these clubs serve as big a
service to the community as a McDonald's does for hungry teenagers.

Stan Flouride, Haight-Ashbury

There are two dispensaries within a half-block of my home that have
been open for over a year and though I live, work and shop here, I
only found out about them within the last month. If anything, of late
I've been propositioned far less often with the words "Green buds?"
than I was before they opened.

Carl Becker, Ingleside

They were, before the Feds' bust along Ocean Avenue. I've a medical
marijuana card which I use, sparingly, for a chronic condition. But
when the gangs took over and bags were being resold on the street to
City College students, it got out of hand. Now it's quieter.

Two Cents is a pool of Bay Area residents we tap for comments and
anecdotes. Columns are a representative sampling of responses to
questions we pose via e-mail.