San Diego gets more access in two new medical cannabis collectives

Coming on the heels of the successful and smooth opening of
A Green Alternative in Otay Mesa, two more medical cannabis dispensaries were
green lighted by the San Diego Planning Commission to open in the coming
months. Those two golden ticket holders will operate in Barrio Logan and
Kearney Mesa. Though six dispensaries have been granted a permit, A Green
Alternative is the only one as of yet to actually open to serve patients. While
the dispensary has been well received, it is simply too far to travel for many
patients. A trip to a strip mall practically located on the US/Mexico border
isn’t exactly what the writers of Proposition 215 envisioned for patients, way
back when they achieved the passing of the Compassionate Use Act of 1996, the
country’s very first medical cannabis act. Furthermore, Senate Bill 420, signed
into law by governor Gray Davis in 2003 sought to “clarify the scope and
application of the act (Proposition 215) and facilitate the prompt
identification of qualified patients and their caregivers in order to avoid unnecessary
arrest and prosecution of these individuals,” “promote uniform and consistent
application of the act among the counties within the state,” “enhance the
access of patients and caregivers to medical marijuana through collective, cooperative
cultivation projects,” and finally,  to
“address additional issues that were not included within the act, and that must
be resolved in order to promote the fair and orderly implementation of the
act.”

For nearly 20 years now, San Diego’s powers-that-be have cunningly
refused to abide by the intention of both Prop 215 and SB-420. This latest
political maneuvering may appear, to the uninformed citizen, to be a victory
for all patients and caregivers. However, the sad truth is that it is not. This
past April, our local leaders chose the path of least resistance, and opted for
what is easiest, and more importantly, what makes each of them appear to have
compassion for patients, while also still standing up for the ignorant few who
regularly hound them at city council meetings, falsely proclaiming the evils of
cannabis; thus placating all prospective voters, ensuring their ultimate goal
of reelection.

These two new dispensary openings will offer somewhat easier
access to medical cannabis for some patients, but not for all. The disabled,
the homebound, and those without reliable transportation will still be
underserved. It doesn’t exactly seem compassionate to expect a chronically, or
terminally ill person on a fixed income to take the bus across town to access
their medication, does it? Patients residing in San Diego’s most densely
populated areas, are the ones who are most underserved by the strenuous
regulations adopted by City Council. When all is said and done, only 30
collectives will be allowed to legally operate in a county of over three
million.