[cannadyke]

from the LA Weekly:


L.A. Medical-Pot Shops Peddle to LAUSD Pupils
As kids flood weed outlets, Ramon Cortines admits there's no plan

By Paul Teetor
November 05, 2009


Los Angeles City Hall is thrashing around as the City Council and mayor belatedly try to control a pot-shop explosion they ignited, which has spawned dozens of freewheeling weed emporiums near public schools. The Los Angeles school board’s response? Nada.

That’s what the Los Angeles Unified School District has done to stop kids from trekking a short distance from Fairfax, Hollywood and other high schools and middle schools to score buds at unregulated neighborhood pot shops that have opened, often in the same block as schools or very nearby.

The LAUSD school board and Superintendent Ramon Cortines have held no meetings about the impact on kids, have no idea how many children are turning to the flood of easy weed, have not tried to assess the money the dispensaries are making off healthy kids, and have not trained faculty and administrators in how to deal with ever-younger stoned students.

Now, following routine questions from L.A. Weekly, some school board members are pledging to deal with it.

The lack of interest from LAUSD’s top officials seems unlikely to help the district — already hammered by high dropout rates and intense competition from charter schools — to win back parents. Scott McNeely, of the Pico Neighborhood Council, complained to the City Council last summer when he heard about 17 dispensaries within a mile and a half of his home, three near elementary schools. “It’s a little discomforting when parents try to walk their kids to and from school and the kids smell marijuana smoke in the air,” he says. “It’s long past time for the LAUSD to weigh in on this issue and pressure the City Council, work with the City Council, just as we are doing. ... The school board needs to raise a little hell.”

Some school board members believe the weed-and-kids situation is out of control. “After school you can see students stopping at the dispensary before going home,” says school board member Tamar Galatzan. “That’s unacceptable.”

The first sign that kids were being affected by the medical-pot explosion — and even directly targeted — arose at Grant High School in Van Nuys. It was the end of summer 2006 and time, apparently, to get back to the San Fernando Valley’s version of the three R’s: reading, writing and rolling joints.

On August 10 of that year, Van Nuys police found that a nearby marijuana dispensary, Pacific Support Services, had left fliers on cars in the Grant High School student parking lot. The fliers were emblazoned with the iconic, three-leaf marijuana bud, and underneath was a friendly message:

“It is still legal to own, grow and smoke marijuana as long as you do it properly. Qualification is simple and our experienced physicians are more than happy to help you,” it informed students, who probably had no idea California law gives seriously ill patients the right to smoke pot if they merely obtain a doctor’s verbal recommendation.

The flier language was directly aimed at those who might be tempted to spend their burgers-and-fries money: “$15 off with this flier. ... If you do not qualify for a recommendation your visit is free.”

In other cities, the targeting of an academically struggling school like Grant High and its mostly minority, mostly working-class students, which resulted in a Los Angeles Daily News story, might have prompted school leaders to act. But it just floated right over the heads of the seven LAUSD board members.

“We had so many other things going on that I guess we just plain missed it,” says school board member Marguerite LaMotte, who represents much of South Los Angeles. “I can’t speak for the rest of the board but myself, I was more worried about the gangs, the liquor stores and all the other problems in my district. ... There’s so much going on in my district.”

Since then, neither the school board nor Cortines has done anything — no new policies, rules or special teacher or principal training — to protect children from unregulated pot dispensaries.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the City Council today have no idea how many pot stores exist, where they are, where they are getting their pot, who is financing them or where the huge profits are going. The exact number of stores in L.A. is a highly fluid calculation, with dispensaries opening and closing daily and dozens filling out paperwork but never switching on the lights. On paper, there are more than 1,000; hundreds are believed to be actually operating.

An analysis by the Los Angeles Times showed that at least 240 of the 1,000 dispensaries are within 1,000 feet of a school, park or library. Teenagers can be seen heading into them after school lets out in Hollywood, Fairfax, Northridge, the San Fernando Valley, Wilshire District and other areas.

According to both police and residents, many medicinal-marijuana shops are covertly targeting healthy kids as young as 14 through street contacts who urge students to “get your card.”

Yet the City Council and school board have yet to open a meaningful dialogue. “On issues that impact LAUSD, there’s been a lack of formal or even informal communication and coordination between the [City] Council and the school board,” says board member Galatzan. “This is the latest manifestation of that problem.”

Galatzan, an attorney who works for the L.A. City Attorney’s Office dealing with street-level crime, supports a tough ordinance proposed by her boss, City Attorney Carmen Trutanich, which among other things would ban dispensaries within 1,000 feet of a school.

The Los Angeles City Council failed for years to adopt state-required local medical-marijuana regulations that other cities, including San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley, long ago debated and approved.

Those three politically liberal cities cracked down on pot profiteers while adopting rules that allow the ill to easily obtain weed. The City Council here, gridlocked and unable to decide what to do, instead adopted a series of moratoriums — and then missed the state’s legal deadline for acting. Now the council is unhappy with Trutanich’s plan, and is looking at its options once again.

At the time of the Grant High incident, Los Angeles dispensaries had mushroomed from just four in 2005 to dozens in 2006. That was before the great medical-bud flood of the last 18 months.

LaMotte and recently elected school board member Steve Zimmer say they too support a 1,000-foot restriction. Zimmer, however, says his is a narrow endorsement of that one provision. He has problems with the rest of Trutanich’s ordinance, which bans the selling of pot over the counter and profiting from it. Zimmer particularly objects to calls to shut down the existing pot stores.

“I support the 1,000-feet restriction because I believe in creating ‘safe passages’ for our students to travel to and from school,” Zimmer says. “But I also support medical marijuana, and I think Trutanich and [Steve] Cooley are focused too much on suppression and not enough on harm reduction.”

Zimmer insists, “They won’t get one student to stop smoking weed by shutting down the dispensaries.”

Frank Sheftel, an advocate of the medical-marijuana movement and co-founder of the Toluca Lake Collective, a medicinal-pot outlet, favors a restriction of 600 feet, as with liquor stores and pharmacies. “Why create a different set of standards for this industry?” he asks.

But Galatzan notes that pharmacies require written physician prescriptions — not verbal recommendations, as with medical pot — and are so heavily regulated that no L.A. schoolchildren can score drugs at pharmacies. Moreover, liquor stores operate under strict laws forcing them to check age and I.D. Pot stores “are totally different from liquor stores, where kids are not allowed, because minors are [being] allowed into dispensaries,” Galatzan says.

David Berger, a special assistant to Trutanich, tells the Weekly that at least two police investigations are under way involving students and medical marijuana. One stems from a community complaint about a dispensary whose “stoned people” hang out next to a Lexington Avenue elementary school. The other is in Venice, where a pot store opened directly across from one public school and down the block from another. Berger says, “LAPD is documenting all this stuff for us now.”

Contact the writer at paulteetor@verizon.net.
Los Angeles News - L.A. Medical-Pot Shops Peddle to LAUSD Pupils - page 1

[washgirl]

Wow! More reason to do private co-ops or 21 and over clubs!

[jayaregee]

yeah i feel ya, trying to get young kids to " get thier card" is just plain wrong. I have a 15 year old step daughter and would be beyond pissed if someone offered her something like that. she knows i medicate but knows she is not to and has no access to my stash ( locked in a small wall safe ). some of these shops are really legit! but its the dirtbags like this that are gonna F it up for the rest of us who are legit..........

[Davyl]

Wow..I went to Grant HS..back in '84...sure was tough to "score" back then

[mikebig 9078]

Originally Posted by cannadyke

from the LA Weekly:


L.A. Medical-Pot Shops Peddle to LAUSD Pupils
As kids flood weed outlets, Ramon Cortines admits there's no plan

By Paul Teetor
November 05, 2009


Los Angeles City Hall is thrashing around as the City Council and mayor belatedly try to control a pot-shop explosion they ignited, which has spawned dozens of freewheeling weed emporiums near public schools. The Los Angeles school board’s response? Nada.

That’s what the Los Angeles Unified School District has done to stop kids from trekking a short distance from Fairfax, Hollywood and other high schools and middle schools to score buds at unregulated neighborhood pot shops that have opened, often in the same block as schools or very nearby.

The LAUSD school board and Superintendent Ramon Cortines have held no meetings about the impact on kids, have no idea how many children are turning to the flood of easy weed, have not tried to assess the money the dispensaries are making off healthy kids, and have not trained faculty and administrators in how to deal with ever-younger stoned students.

Now, following routine questions from L.A. Weekly, some school board members are pledging to deal with it.

The lack of interest from LAUSD’s top officials seems unlikely to help the district — already hammered by high dropout rates and intense competition from charter schools — to win back parents. Scott McNeely, of the Pico Neighborhood Council, complained to the City Council last summer when he heard about 17 dispensaries within a mile and a half of his home, three near elementary schools. “It’s a little discomforting when parents try to walk their kids to and from school and the kids smell marijuana smoke in the air,” he says. “It’s long past time for the LAUSD to weigh in on this issue and pressure the City Council, work with the City Council, just as we are doing. ... The school board needs to raise a little hell.”

Some school board members believe the weed-and-kids situation is out of control. “After school you can see students stopping at the dispensary before going home,” says school board member Tamar Galatzan. “That’s unacceptable.”

The first sign that kids were being affected by the medical-pot explosion — and even directly targeted — arose at Grant High School in Van Nuys. It was the end of summer 2006 and time, apparently, to get back to the San Fernando Valley’s version of the three R’s: reading, writing and rolling joints.

On August 10 of that year, Van Nuys police found that a nearby marijuana dispensary, Pacific Support Services, had left fliers on cars in the Grant High School student parking lot. The fliers were emblazoned with the iconic, three-leaf marijuana bud, and underneath was a friendly message:

“It is still legal to own, grow and smoke marijuana as long as you do it properly. Qualification is simple and our experienced physicians are more than happy to help you,” it informed students, who probably had no idea California law gives seriously ill patients the right to smoke pot if they merely obtain a doctor’s verbal recommendation.

The flier language was directly aimed at those who might be tempted to spend their burgers-and-fries money: “$15 off with this flier. ... If you do not qualify for a recommendation your visit is free.”

In other cities, the targeting of an academically struggling school like Grant High and its mostly minority, mostly working-class students, which resulted in a Los Angeles Daily News story, might have prompted school leaders to act. But it just floated right over the heads of the seven LAUSD board members.

“We had so many other things going on that I guess we just plain missed it,” says school board member Marguerite LaMotte, who represents much of South Los Angeles. “I can’t speak for the rest of the board but myself, I was more worried about the gangs, the liquor stores and all the other problems in my district. ... There’s so much going on in my district.”

Since then, neither the school board nor Cortines has done anything — no new policies, rules or special teacher or principal training — to protect children from unregulated pot dispensaries.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the City Council today have no idea how many pot stores exist, where they are, where they are getting their pot, who is financing them or where the huge profits are going. The exact number of stores in L.A. is a highly fluid calculation, with dispensaries opening and closing daily and dozens filling out paperwork but never switching on the lights. On paper, there are more than 1,000; hundreds are believed to be actually operating.

An analysis by the Los Angeles Times showed that at least 240 of the 1,000 dispensaries are within 1,000 feet of a school, park or library. Teenagers can be seen heading into them after school lets out in Hollywood, Fairfax, Northridge, the San Fernando Valley, Wilshire District and other areas.

According to both police and residents, many medicinal-marijuana shops are covertly targeting healthy kids as young as 14 through street contacts who urge students to “get your card.”

Yet the City Council and school board have yet to open a meaningful dialogue. “On issues that impact LAUSD, there’s been a lack of formal or even informal communication and coordination between the [City] Council and the school board,” says board member Galatzan. “This is the latest manifestation of that problem.”

Galatzan, an attorney who works for the L.A. City Attorney’s Office dealing with street-level crime, supports a tough ordinance proposed by her boss, City Attorney Carmen Trutanich, which among other things would ban dispensaries within 1,000 feet of a school.

The Los Angeles City Council failed for years to adopt state-required local medical-marijuana regulations that other cities, including San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley, long ago debated and approved.

Those three politically liberal cities cracked down on pot profiteers while adopting rules that allow the ill to easily obtain weed. The City Council here, gridlocked and unable to decide what to do, instead adopted a series of moratoriums — and then missed the state’s legal deadline for acting. Now the council is unhappy with Trutanich’s plan, and is looking at its options once again.

At the time of the Grant High incident, Los Angeles dispensaries had mushroomed from just four in 2005 to dozens in 2006. That was before the great medical-bud flood of the last 18 months.

LaMotte and recently elected school board member Steve Zimmer say they too support a 1,000-foot restriction. Zimmer, however, says his is a narrow endorsement of that one provision. He has problems with the rest of Trutanich’s ordinance, which bans the selling of pot over the counter and profiting from it. Zimmer particularly objects to calls to shut down the existing pot stores.

“I support the 1,000-feet restriction because I believe in creating ‘safe passages’ for our students to travel to and from school,” Zimmer says. “But I also support medical marijuana, and I think Trutanich and [Steve] Cooley are focused too much on suppression and not enough on harm reduction.”

Zimmer insists, “They won’t get one student to stop smoking weed by shutting down the dispensaries.”

Frank Sheftel, an advocate of the medical-marijuana movement and co-founder of the Toluca Lake Collective, a medicinal-pot outlet, favors a restriction of 600 feet, as with liquor stores and pharmacies. “Why create a different set of standards for this industry?” he asks.

But Galatzan notes that pharmacies require written physician prescriptions — not verbal recommendations, as with medical pot — and are so heavily regulated that no L.A. schoolchildren can score drugs at pharmacies. Moreover, liquor stores operate under strict laws forcing them to check age and I.D. Pot stores “are totally different from liquor stores, where kids are not allowed, because minors are [being] allowed into dispensaries,” Galatzan says.

David Berger, a special assistant to Trutanich, tells the Weekly that at least two police investigations are under way involving students and medical marijuana. One stems from a community complaint about a dispensary whose “stoned people” hang out next to a Lexington Avenue elementary school. The other is in Venice, where a pot store opened directly across from one public school and down the block from another. Berger says, “LAPD is documenting all this stuff for us now.”

Contact the writer at paulteetor@verizon.net.
Los Angeles News - L.A. Medical-Pot Shops Peddle to LAUSD Pupils - page 1

whats this verbal recomendation bs how many other lies are in this bs article

[bushka]

Originally Posted by mikebig 9078

whats this verbal recomendation bs how many other lies are in this bs article

word ...

These are the people that just eff it up for all. Now why haven't they shut these places down instead of going after legit law abiding dispensaries < shaking head >

"stoned people hanging out" reminds of a certain boardwalk joint that should be shutdown

[VooDoo Chile]

I was under the impression that recs had to be (1) written down and (2) weren't available to minors. Somehow I doubt this article's a bastion of truth. Sounds more like a buttload o' improvisional truthiness!

Don't get me wrong, I'm sure there are co-ops who are stupid enough to try and market to teens. But I've personally never been in a co-op that was filled with high school kids. Gimmie a break. Sounds to me like this is just the media pulling that all too familiar "think of the children" bullshit.

[flatdog]

Originally Posted by VooDoo Chile

I was under the impression that recs had to be (1) written down and (2) weren't available to minors. Somehow I doubt this article's a bastion of truth. Sounds more like a buttload o' improvisional truthiness!

Don't get me wrong, I'm sure there are co-ops who are stupid enough to try and market to teens. But I've personally never been in a co-op that was filled with high school kids. Gimmie a break. Sounds to me like this is just the media pulling that all too familiar "think of the children" bullshit.

IIRC, minors are allowed to obtain a recommendation as long as they have their parents' consent. also, recommendations don't have to be written (can be verbal), but they are written for convenience/proof of patient status

[Hoolay13]

The guy from pico said he walks his kid to school and smells mmj. What bs.

[The Plant Manager]

Some school board members believe the weed-and-kids situation is out of control. “After school you can see students stopping at the dispensary before going home,” says school board member Tamar Galatzan. “That’s unacceptable.”

How odd. I've never seen this at all and I'm on year 13 of my Dr.'s rec.
I'm sure that Tamar meant "I'm too stooopid to know truth from fiction"?

This is what it has come down to. LIES! The anti's will lie to protect their fears.

Anyone else see kids on their way home from school getting medicine? I didn't think so....

[cephas]

That article is obviously an exaggeration of the facts.

That a Co-Op put flyers on high school student's cars with the wording given in the article, probably happened (shame on them seriously that was beyond stupid).

Now a bunch of parents are upset, worried about their kids being exposed to drugs walking to and from school (not even going to start on how many of their kids walk past or into Rite-Aids or CVC's, and what the difference is, really.). Which causes emotions to run hot and facts to become distorted....

The fact is verbal recommendations are not accepted anywhere, besides street corners, which have nothing to do with MMJ.

There are no co-ops or dispensary's anywhere that are serving 14 and 15 year olds, ask the 18-20 year olds among us....they have a hard time finding places that will accept them sometimes....

The sad part is this is another example of shooting ourselves in the foot, by not thinking about how the general public will perceive our marketing attempts. I strongly believe unity is what is needed right now, so no yelling or anger towards the collective, bu regardless let's try to think first.....

Here's to hoping we can learn from our mistakes......eventually.....

[Medicaluser99]

Originally Posted by Hoolay13

The guy from pico said he walks his kid to school and smells mmj. What bs.

I have been able to locate some hard to find dispensaries, even though i had the address, just because of the smell. All the way to the sidewalk. Nothing carries its smell like cannabis. So, I think that there is some truth to this. just my two cents.

old fart:

[wallawalla]

I hate to tell you, but teenagers are going to some locations and getting meds. They are supposed to have a parent/guardian or caretaker with them anytime they go for meds. But some places do allow them in without a parent/guardian or caretaker! Childrens hospital actually has written recs. for minors I have seen them. Some may not agree but I had patients that were younger as you all know cancer does not discriminate. Now a days you are taking a big chance helping minors. I think the locations they are talking about will have visitors real soon and not nice ones!!

[j_kushman]

Originally Posted by mikebig 9078

whats this verbal recomendation bs how many other lies are in this bs article

It's true my friend my no lies!!




11362.5. (a) This section shall be known and may be cited as the
Compassionate Use Act of 1996.
(b) (1) The people of the State of California hereby find and
declare that the purposes of the Compassionate Use Act of 1996 are as
follows:
(A) To ensure that seriously ill Californians have the right to
obtain and use marijuana for medical purposes where that medical use
is deemed appropriate and has been recommended by a physician who has
determined that the person's health would benefit from the use of
marijuana in the treatment of cancer, anorexia, AIDS, chronic pain,
spasticity, glaucoma, arthritis, migraine, or any other illness for
which marijuana provides relief.
(B) To ensure that patients and their primary caregivers who
obtain and use marijuana for medical purposes upon the recommendation
of a physician are not subject to criminal prosecution or sanction.

(C) To encourage the federal and state governments to implement a
plan to provide for the safe and affordable distribution of marijuana
to all patients in medical need of marijuana.
(2) Nothing in this section shall be construed to supersede
legislation prohibiting persons from engaging in conduct that
endangers others, nor to condone the diversion of marijuana for
nonmedical purposes.
(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no physician in
this state shall be punished, or denied any right or privilege, for
having recommended marijuana to a patient for medical purposes.
(d) Section 11357, relating to the possession of marijuana, and
Section 11358, relating to the cultivation of marijuana, shall not
apply to a patient, or to a patient's primary caregiver, who
possesses or cultivates marijuana for the personal medical purposes
of the patient upon the written or oral recommendation or approval of
a physician.
(e) For the purposes of this section, "primary caregiver" means
the individual designated by the person exempted under this section
who has consistently assumed responsibility for the housing, health,
or safety of that person.


I hope that helps. As far as high school kids going to dispensaries that is unheard of and completely unfounded bull crap that I've yet to witness in all my visits to mmj dispensaries. Not only that but I don't think that any buisness that plans on " making millions" on mmj is going to develop a buisness model based on trying to make money from the demographic that probably posseses the least amount of capital. Just my .02

[cephas]

Patients being all ages (for different legitimate reasons) is a very good point...at the same time I doubt many (hopefully none) of those teen and younger cancer patients are walking home....and if any of the MMJ Co-Ops are letting in teenagers without parents, well that is a real problem beyond handing out fliers...

....part of why I want a patient council to police Co-Ops/Dispensaries...we can do a better, less violent, less intrusive job than law enforcement can, not to mention they should have better things to do....

...and as far as verbal rec's yes, there is provision for such.....show me a club that will let you in with a "verbal" recommendation.....unless, maybe the Dr is with the patient....

[wallawalla]

Originally Posted by cephas

Patients being all ages (for different legitimate reasons) is a very good point...at the same time I doubt many (hopefully none) of those teen and younger cancer patients are walking home....and if any of the MMJ Co-Ops are letting in teenagers without parents, well that is a real problem beyond handing out fliers...

....part of why I want a patient council to police Co-Ops/Dispensaries...we can do a better, less violent, less intrusive job than law enforcement can, not to mention they should have better things to do....

Some people do not like what I say, but they need to do some very much needed regulating and if they won't then we all need to do it ourselves by not supporting the bad seeds. So much BS goes on at alot of locations that needs to be stopped so it quits hurting mmj! The doctors need regulating also some how!

[cephas]

Agreed on the Dr regulation, but there is no precedent for that....self-regualtion in the medical field is unheard of.

In other industries it is very common though.

[wallawalla]

Originally Posted by cephas

Agreed on the Dr regulation, but there is no precedent for that....self-regualtion in the medical field is unheard of.

In other industries it is very common though.

That is true so it may have to come down to old tactics, such as picketing in front of offices. With a doctor would not take much to sway them!!

[cephas]

Agreed.

Not sure about the timing though. Right now I am not sure it is the correct time to be picketing Dr's offices for writing illegitimate recs...might just wind up being more ammunition for the firing squad....a damned if you do, damned if you don't kind of thing...

Part of me thinks we should wait for a set of regulations, then begin going after the Dr's. Basically till the fight is over, we should not fight ourselves, rather we should fight those who are fighting us. Another part thinks, if they are going to throw stones, at least they could throw them where the problem really lays... Definitely split on when to take issue with the Dr's, but regardless it needs to happen.

[E.T.]

The author is so clueless. It seems he has never heard of a bodega. Just because you can write doesn't mean you should. At least write about something you know about and not just some hot button topic to score a few editorial points. Loser.

[E.T.]

For your entertainment.

Bodega weed spot

[cyn620]

How many of these kids stop at the liquor store and get a 6 pack before they head home?

Probably none. Because alcohol sales are regulated. You need to be over x age, and its available for everyone else who is and wants it, and if some liquor store sold to minors they'd (possibly) get shut down. And all the governments make money on taxes.

Heaven forbid this craaaaazzzzzy idea is used for weed.

[tooweirdtolivetooraretodie]

I grew up in the bay area, the only problem we ever had with getting weed was in the mid to late 80's when C.A.M.P. went into overdrive. Then the liberally measured, three finger "1/8th" of double bag skunk, went from $30 to $55-$60. Followed by a flood of crappy, brown, seedy, nasty, bricked up weeds, ostensibly from one of our neighbors to the south. Which then took over the $35 market. Those C.A.M.P. C'suckers did more to help foreign drug cartels and the domestic black market in the 80's than all the shady Caribbean banks combined. They ought to be arrested.

[beinhorn]

i remember working at grant summer 06 and the fliers there on all the cars. obnoxious

[maximus17]

I hope they find a sensible way to control the issue but those people who give to underaged people are doing wrong and they should be singled out instead of them looking at everyone as a hole i've been too shops that follow the rules perfectly in my eyes, i don't know i just hope they don't do anything too stupid