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Oakland moves ahead on permitting new dispensaries |
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Written by Richard Lee
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Thursday, 30 March 2006 |
Public hearings were held Feb. 16 concerning the four remaining
applicants for two open Oakland Cannabis Dispensary permits that were
revoked last September for building code violations.
Sparky Rose, the manager of Compassionate Caregivers
who bought out the company assets and reorganized under the name New
Remedies, hopes to reopen at 2135 Broadway. New Remedies operates in
San Francisco as the only remaining outlet of what was once a
seven-outlet mega-dispensary. The company reputedly grossed millions of
dollars per month at its height, but collapsed last summer when its
West Hollywood branch was raided and bank accounts seized by Los
Angeles police. No owners or employees have been prosecuted or indicted
to date.
Steve DiAngelo and David Wedding Dress laid out plans for an 1840
Embarcadero location. DiAngelo started a successful hemp business in
the 1990s and Wedding Dress is a masseuse. They expressed hope to
enhance their club with a holistic clinic with acupuncture, yoga, and
classes on cannabis gardening, self-defense and legal issues.
Next came Winslow Norton of Compassionate Collective
of Alameda County, with plans to bring up to code the old Oakland
Compassionate Healing Center location at 578 Grand. He has been open in
Hayward since 2004 and is seeking an Alameda County Health Department
permit for a commercial cannabis kitchen.
The final applicant was Keith Stephenson who hopes
to open the Purple Heart Center at 415 4th street. Stephenson has been
a part of the Oakland Cannabis Industry since the 1990s, when he worked
at The Zoo, the first club to open in Oakland after the OCBC, Oakland
Cannabis Buyers’ Coop, was shut down in 1998.
City Administrator Debra Edgerly will grade the
applicants and award points on such criteria as proof of
capitalization, staffing and security plans, and site inspections.
The two with the most points will be given
conditional approvals. The actual permits will be awarded and new clubs
will be allowed to open after any needed remodeling is complete, most
likely this summer.
 Photo by Mikki Norris
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Richard Lee |
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 03 August 2006 )
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