MAYOR WANTS POT CLUB CONTROVERSIES TO 'GO AWAY'

In a wide-ranging speech on medical marijuana, Mayor Gavin Newsom said
Tuesday night that he supports recent efforts to better regulate the
industry but suggested he would not favor a hard limit to the number of pot
dispensaries operating in The City.

In his remarks, made during a Drug Policy Alliance-sponsored forum at the
Jewish Community Center, Newsom lamented the recent spate of controversies
surrounding pot clubs, saying he would like to see the issue "out of the
headlines and back where it belongs in the hands of the health community."

But he said recent efforts to regulate the industry are needed to address
complaints that include clubs selling to minors, medical marijuana patrons
dealing on the street and money laundering.

"My goal is for this to go away because I don't want to read about it
anymore," Newsom said.

Newsom's comments came as the Board of Supervisors is set to take up
District 5 Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi's ordinance that would require pot
dispensaries to go through a permitting process similar to other
businesses. It would include criminal background checks for applicants,
requirements for handicapped accessibility and proper ventilation, a $7,400
one-time fee and a $2,200 annual fee.

But Newsom took issue with Supervisor Sean Elsbernd's recent comment that a
pot-dispensary cap should be considered because "there are two medical
marijuana clubs for every McDonald's in The City." McDonald's and other
fast-food chains are banned from many commercial areas.

Newsom said it would be more appropriate to compare the pot clubs to
pharmacies.

"If this is truly a medical use, why put it in the context of fast food?"
he asked.

He praised medical marijuana advocates' "steadfastness and constancy" and
said, "We are winning the war as it relates to medical marijuana."

But he worried that the federal government, which recently raided three
dispensaries in a money-laundering probe, may not be done with San Francisco.

"The concern is that we're going to see more of this. The concern is that
they are going to shut this down," he said. "We want to lead by example. We
don't want to screw this up."