POT CLUB IDEA GETS SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO'S OK

South San Francisco will soon be home to a medical marijuana facility
serving no more than 150 patients but city officials must first
decide upon a competitive process to find a provider.

On Wednesday, the South San Francisco City Council held a public
hearing during which it directed staff to revamp a resolution
establishing rules on medical marijuana collectives, which the
council majority seemed to favor. Before lifting the moratorium,
however, the council wants to establish a competitive process to
decide on one organization to start the collective.

"There is a need in South San Francisco for ill patients. I don't
want those patients to have to go to San Francisco or Oakland," said
Mayor Kevin Mullin.

Establishing a competitive bid process helped placate concerns
expressed by Councilwoman Karyl Matsumoto who wanted a fair,
professional process, and Councilman Mark Addiego who took issue with
creating a monopoly, according to comments from a video of Wednesday's meeting.

Although the votes to end the moratorium were there, staff requested
time to outline the bid process, including application fees, before
an official vote. When the resolution returns, it will also include a
sunset date allowing the council to revisit the topic after a set
time, most likely a year.

Vice Mayor Rich Garbarino publicly struggled with the ordinance
noting questions about drug habits or obtaining a prescription, but
also said an outright ban seemed to not be the answer.

Councilman Pedro Gonzalez was against allowing the collective at all.

As proposed, the ordinance would prohibit a collective to be within
1,000 feet of a residential district, public or private school, youth
center, public library, park facility or smoke shop, according to the
staff report written by Assistant City Manager Marty Van Duyn. Such a
facility would be allowed to serve a maximum of 150 patients. On-site
cultivation and consumption would be prohibited and broad security
would be required, according to the report.

The conversation about medical marijuana collectives began in South
San Francisco in 2006.

In 1996, California voters passed the Compassionate Use Act
permitting the possession and cultivation of marijuana for medical
use. On Jan. 1, 2004, Senate Bill 420, the Medical Marijuana Program,
specified the extent of the law. The South San Francisco City Council
unanimously - but begrudgingly - approved regulations filling the
"gaps" left by the legislation in 2006.

In 2009, the Island of Health Collective proposal was the first since
the city approved local regulations. The city approved a permit to
open a medical marijuana collective at 175 Utah Ave., which was
stalled after neighbors appealed the decision in October 2009. Before
the appeal could be heard, the council passed a moratorium on
collectives. The appeal cannot be heard until after the temporary ban
has ended. The group backing the marijuana collective did not have
the money available to wait that long.

Danny Dorman spoke Wednesday on behalf of Island of Health requesting
an exclusive agreement to work with the city to open a collective.

While the council didn't go for that, Matsumoto did ask staff to
deduct costs already paid by the group from any application fee
required during the upcoming bid process.

In San Mateo County, Colma, Half Moon Bay and Millbrae have banned
collectives. Collectives are allowed in San Carlos, San Mateo and the
unincorporated parts of San Mateo County. Many cities - Brisbane,
Daly City, San Bruno and Redwood City - have temporary bans in place.