Medical Cannabis Dispensary coming to Sebastopol

[PeaceinMedicine]

We are a group of local patients working to open the first Medical Cannabis Dispensary in Sebastopol. We thought this might be a great outlet to hear from the community. Your thoughts and suggestions are well appreciated.

-Robert, HPM
Harmony
"Peace in Medicine"

[Gregg]

great idea!

[PeaceinMedicine]

great idea!

Update: 3/7/2007

Our grassroots effort is growing in numbers and accomplishments. In the last week we have received over $75,000.00 in committed funds and doubled our volunteer force. I am honored to be a part of such a local grassroots burst of energy. So much has been accomplished in the past week and much more is to come. Please feel free to forward this to any and all you feel have an interest. My hope is to send this update out weekly. If there is a volunteer out there willing to take on this task, I welcome you!

We need a home!!!
In the past week I have met or spoken with over 20 real estate agents, property managers, and/or owners and they have all turned me away. But, today I found a local real estate group that is excited to help and is determined to find us a space by our March 15^th deadline. I met with him and provided copies of City Council meeting minutes, the ordinance (Chapter 17.140), our project overview and the supplementary city application. He plans on taking those documents out to owners and fellow agents and working with them to have a better understanding of our services and intentions. Please keep those referrals coming in to me. I will refer all leads to him. A special thank you to Julian Camp of Barkley Real Estate and to Ryan for bringing them to our attention.

URL / Email address change
We have purchased http://www.peaceinmedicine.org . The web-site isn’t up yet, but I have a new email address: robertjacob@peaceinmedicine.org . Please update your address book.

Finance Committee
On Saturday afternoon the Finance Committee met for the first time. Carl Kerwick was appointed Chair of the committee and Ann C. accepted a seat as the board bookkeeper. Both of these unpaid volunteers will greatly add to HPM’s integrity, strength, and commitment to serve patients. They approved the draft budget, discussed putting controls in place and began charging themselves with tasks. It was the consensus of the group to not start spending until a space is secured.

Outreach Committee
On Saturday evening the Outreach Committee met for the first time. We identified a large list of potential businesses, individuals, and community leaders to write letters of support towards our effort. Mitcho Thompson accepted the position as Chair of the committee and Liat Goldman a committee member. As soon as the draft letters of support are complete they will fan out across the Sebastopol and begin educating the community about our effort and intentions. A gracious “Thank You!” goes out to these volunteers.

Community Discussion
I have created a discussion board at: http://www.waccobb.net/forums/showthread.php?t=18669
Please take a moment to click on the link, join waccobb.net and add to the discussion. The more discussion we can create will encourage other community member to give input and let us know their thoughts and ideas. The closer we can come to the local community, the better we will be able to serve local patients. Any and all discussion is welcome and encouraged.

Logo Design
I met with the pro-bono graphic designer on Monday. The designs are beautiful. Soon I will send out several options to get input and feed back from all of you. Thank you to Christopher Nash!


Sincerely,
Robert Jacob
President / General Manager
Harmony, "Peace in Medicine" (HPM)
Honesty * Understanding * Trust * Expression

[P_T]

We are a group of local patients working to open the first Medical Cannabis Dispensary in Sebastopol. We thought this might be a great outlet to hear from the community. Your thoughts and suggestions are well appreciated.

-Robert, HPM
Harmony
"Peace in Medicine"

I'm excited to see the community come together to make this happen! I look forward to the day when patients can safely and securing obtain their medicine.

[thewholetruth]

Unfortunately, less than 1% of those who get the supposed "Medical Marijuana" card actually have medical needs (I'm being gracious to use the less than 1% figure - literally NONE of the people I've encountered with MM cards were legit, but I know there are some folks with real medical need who have glaucoma or cancer). The others (99%+) are simply pot heads. I've confiscated a ton of medical marijuana cards when I worked at a large long-term treatment center and NONE of them had legit medical needs. Virtually ALL of them wanted to keep their cards when they got there (I threw them all away) and literally NONE of them suffered or even complained of discomfort about anything physical during their 9 month stay. That is why I am absolutely convinced that the "Medical Marijuana" card is fraudulent and is a scam designed for addicts to legally smoke pot.

I'm excited to see the community come together to make this happen! I look forward to the day when patients can safely and securing obtain their medicine.

[nurturetruth]

While I was going through the process of losing alot of weight when I had a cancerous acting tumor to deal with... I ate cannabis food and took cannabis pills to help me to eat. I could not hold anything down and this medicine was my salvation. I also would use it to help my insomnia verses choosing the pharmaceutical world.

I have met MANY who have had legit physical reasons for choosing plant based natural medicines versus prescribed pharmaceuticals.

I feel feelings of some sadness that you expressed this viewpoint towards medical cannabis and the patients who choose to use it as their medicine.
I am curious...Have you ever tried it as a medicine for yourself for any condition?
Mind you, I also respect your view , realizing it is your truth and is also shared by others.
* All I request is that you keep an open mind as I am sure you have one!*

Just because someone chooses medical cannabis as their form of medicine (and is willing to use it legally with a prescription and or a card), does not always mean they are an addict or pot head by any means.

Besides, alcoholics can buy alcohol....and all they need is their i.d.
Addictive Cigarette smokers can buy cigarettes before they are even 21.
Did you throw away their drivers license or cigarettes?
* I am nearly certain the "addicts" you help out and work with... would have had more of a withdrawel and issues come up if you threw away their cigarettes than a plastic card.

As you know, we have many who choose to take in nicotine and or use pain pills or other prescribed prescriptions that can be fairly harmful for the body.

*Thank goodness for these addictive behaviors so you can still have a job!*


But see, that is the thing.

Based on my observations and experience, medical cannabis is not addictive, thus no painful or difficult withdrawels.

Those same people whose cards you took pleasure in throwing away for them perhaps do not share the view that medical cannabis is an addictive "drug" or substance such as alcohol, oxycontin, etc.
Plus,they may be satisfied knowing that you are not throwing away their actual $100 - 150.00 prescription which makes them legal.... just the $50.00 - 60.00 card. Even if you were able to throw away their Doctor written prescription, they could get another copy easy.

I have always had a difficult time understanding why people throw cannabis into the same category as "addictive substances".
It sure is one of the less harmful things one can be addicted to, if addiction is even possible!

But then again, I suppose there are many addicts of many types running around out there. Even those addicted to ice cream!

Even patterns and habits are addictive and can be challenging to break.

Denial is also addictive. So is a close mind or an open mind.

Unfortunately, less than 1% of those who get the supposed "Medical Marijuana" card actually have medical needs (I'm being gracious to use the less than 1% figure - literally NONE of the people I've encountered with MM cards were legit, but I know there are some folks with real medical need who have glaucoma or cancer). The others (99%+) are simply pot heads. I've confiscated a ton of medical marijuana cards when I worked at a large long-term treatment center and NONE of them had legit medical needs. Virtually ALL of them wanted to keep their cards when they got there (I threw them all away) and literally NONE of them suffered or even complained of discomfort about anything physical during their 9 month stay. That is why I am absolutely convinced that the "Medical Marijuana" card is fraudulent and is a scam designed for addicts to legally smoke pot.

[thewholetruth]

Medical cannabis pills are not what people are growing on their property. It's not what they're selling at these Pot Shops, either. These are primarily pot smokers, pot heads who think they've found a way to get high legally. The medicine was your salvation, and hallelujah for that! But you are one of the less than 1% who actually use it medically. Most pot heads use it because they haven't learned how to do life, and are stuck in a cycle that never ends, because in order to feel good tomorrow, we have to get high again.

I got it for my own father when he was dying of cancer, for the same reason: to give him an appetite after chemo.

My problem with supposed "Medical Marijuana" is that it's a lie. The entire premise is a lie, designed primarily to help addicts get stoned, and they piggybacked on/used sick people like you in order to secure their precious drugs that they 'need' each day. They USED your pain and your suffering to secure THEIR drugs.

Cigarettes and alcohol are both legal and available in stores everywhere. Pot is illegal and Federal law prohibits it's use, possession and cultivation. The disease of addiction is so stubborn that some of the most addicted pot addicts got together and year after year, attempted to get "medical marijuana" legalized. They finally managed to use YOUR pain and suffering to twist the arms of some Californians so they can feed their selfish addictions.

Thanks for your thoughts, brother, and I'm glad you won the battle with that tumor!

While I was going through the process of losing alot of weight when I had a cancerous acting tumor to deal with... I ate cannabis food and took cannabis pills to help me to eat. I could not hold anything down and this medicine was my salvation. I also would use it to help my insomnia verses choosing the pharmaceutical world.

I have met MANY who have had legit physical reasons for choosing plant based natural medicines versus prescribed pharmaceuticals.

I feel feelings of some sadness that you expressed this viewpoint towards medical cannabis and the patients who choose to use it as their medicine.
I am curious...Have you ever tried it as a medicine for yourself for any condition?
Mind you, I also respect your view , realizing it is your truth and is also shared by others.
* All I request is that you keep an open mind as I am sure you have one!*

Just because someone chooses medical cannabis as their form of medicine (and is willing to use it legally with a prescription and or a card), does not always mean they are an addict or pot head by any means.

Besides, alcoholics can buy alcohol....and all they need is their i.d.
Addictive Cigarette smokers can buy cigarettes before they are even 21.
Did you throw away their drivers license or cigarettes?
* I am nearly certain the "addicts" you help out and work with... would have had more of a withdrawel and issues come up if you threw away their cigarettes than a plastic card.

As you know, we have many who choose to take in nicotine and or use pain pills or other prescribed prescriptions that can be fairly harmful for the body.

*Thank goodness for these addictive behaviors so you can still have a job!*


But see, that is the thing.

Based on my observations and experience, medical cannabis is not addictive, thus no painful or difficult withdrawels.

Those same people whose cards you took pleasure in throwing away for them perhaps do not share the view that medical cannabis is an addictive "drug" or substance such as alcohol, oxycontin, etc.
Plus,they may be satisfied knowing that you are not throwing away their actual $100 - 150.00 prescription which makes them legal.... just the $50.00 - 60.00 card. Even if you were able to throw away their Doctor written prescription, they could get another copy easy.

I have always had a difficult time understanding why people throw cannabis into the same category as "addictive substances".
It sure is one of the less harmful things one can be addicted to, if addiction is even possible!

But then again, I suppose there are many addicts of many types running around out there. Even those addicted to ice cream!

Even patterns and habits are addictive and can be challenging to break.

Denial is also addictive. So is a close mind or an open mind.

[nurturetruth]

Actually, I knew some growers who would make cannabis pills , butter and food for the cannabis clubs in Marin and SF. They do sell a variety of ways to take the medicine in the clubs. they even sell tinctures ,butter and food along with the pills.

Have you been to the Peace N Medicine dispensary ? Its real nice and the focus is on well being. Not just medical cannabis.

Many people have yet to learn how to "DO LIFE" as you state. This is perhaps why denial, depression, bi-polar, alcoholic use, cigarette use is so high in our society.

I think there are many beings out there... cannabis users or not..who actually feel good in life and about life.

I would rather people find a safe way to get their highs and kicks in life, rather than numb themselves up with alcohol , denial or harmful pharmaceutical so called legal drugs.

I just feel there are other things that are more harmful to the body than the use of medical cannabis.

By the way, where do you get your 1% statistics from? curious.

Everyone has their reasons /excuses for doing what they do in life and choosing their medicine.

Thank God there is a choice to be able to choose in this illusion of "land of the free". Freedom is the choice to choose and anything natural that grows from this earth is here for a reason.

There are so many other worse "medicines" or "drugs" (illegal or not) one could be doing.

What I do have an issue is...is with those who are using medical cannabis who DON'T have their prescription. and those who choose to use the terminology , "pot" and "marijuana".

Also...don't you feel its strange that such addictive potentially unhealthy options such as beer / cigarettes and pharmaceuticals are legal and easier to get? It has to do with corporations. do you really think they have our best interest at heart?!!

The only people I have known who try to help get medical cannabis legalized have major legit health issues or they were supporters of the use of natural medicine.

Thank you for respecting my truth as I have respected yours.

And thank you for for your thoughts!!

~~ a sista'
(not a brother)



YOU STATED:

Medical cannabis pills are not what people are growing on their property. It's not what they're selling at these Pot Shops, either. These are primarily pot smokers, pot heads who think they've found a way to get high legally. The medicine was your salvation, and hallelujah for that! But you are one of the less than 1% who actually use it medically. Most pot heads use it because they haven't learned how to do life, and are stuck in a cycle that never ends, because in order to feel good tomorrow, we have to get high again.

I got it for my own father when he was dying of cancer, for the same reason: to give him an appetite after chemo.

My problem with supposed "Medical Marijuana" is that it's a lie. The entire premise is a lie, designed primarily to help addicts get stoned, and they piggybacked on/used sick people like you in order to secure their precious drugs that they 'need' each day. They USED your pain and your suffering to secure THEIR drugs.

Cigarettes and alcohol are both legal and available in stores everywhere. Pot is illegal and Federal law prohibits it's use, possession and cultivation. The disease of addiction is so stubborn that some of the most addicted pot addicts got together and year after year, attempted to get "medical marijuana" legalized. They finally managed to use YOUR pain and suffering to twist the arms of some Californians so they can feed their selfish addictions.

Thanks for your thoughts, brother, and I'm glad you won the battle with that tumor!

[thewholetruth]

Well forgive me, sista! And I agree with much of what you say. Alcohol and cigarettes are both responsible for killing many Americans, yet they're legal. I just don't think America needs to legalize another way to check out. Like you said, we have drinking and legal meds.

I know pot seems harmless when compared to alcohol, but some of the hidden problems with it are, like I said, it makes you feel like everything is okay when it's not. It numbs our feelings, so that when we are in a situation which is dangerous, we think everything is okay. It's a false sense of security that disconnects our natural ability to discern when it's time to speak up, shut up, move away, draw closer. It clouds one's mind so that instincts get all confused and motivation goes away to a great degree. It renders us apathetic and lethargic, which, in a sense, robs us of our very life while we're using it.

It's also a gateway drug, just like cigarettes and alcohol. All three open the door to use other mind-altering substances which are more dangerous.

As I mentioned about the less than 1% figure: I was referring to the hundreds of medical marijuana cards I've confiscated while working in treatment, none of which were medically necessary. Not one. Again, I think it's a horrible travesty that drug addicts use the pain and suffering of people like yourself to try to secure their drugs when they don't even NEED it. It's like abortion: Less than 1% of all abortions are actually done to save the life of the mother, although medical NECESSITY was the premise used to secure legalized abortions. The other more than 99% of babies killed before birth are killed NOT due to medical necessity, but simply because Mom has decided she doesn't want her child. The selfish piggybacked on the medical emergencies in order to secure the ability to kill the babies they don't want.

And what I really have issue with is people getting prescriptions when they don't have any real need for the drug. That is dishonest. At least pot heads who get the drug illegally are not pretending to be sick. They're admitting they're sick, because drugs are for sick people. ;-)

Actually, I knew some growers who would make cannabis pills , butter and food for the cannabis clubs in Marin and SF. They do sell a variety of ways to take the medicine in the clubs. they even sell tinctures ,butter and food along with the pills.

Have you been to the Peace N Medicine dispensary ? Its real nice and the focus is on well being. Not just medical cannabis.

Many people have yet to learn how to "DO LIFE" as you state. This is perhaps why denial, depression, bi-polar, alcoholic use, cigarette use is so high in our society.

I think there are many beings out there... cannabis users or not..who actually feel good in life and about life.

I would rather people find a safe way to get their highs and kicks in life, rather than numb themselves up with alcohol , denial or harmful pharmaceutical so called legal drugs.

I just feel there are other things that are more harmful to the body than the use of medical cannabis.

By the way, where do you get your 1% statistics from? curious.

Everyone has their reasons /excuses for doing what they do in life and choosing their medicine.

Thank God there is a choice to be able to choose in this illusion of "land of the free". Freedom is the choice to choose and anything natural that grows from this earth is here for a reason.

There are so many other worse "medicines" or "drugs" (illegal or not) one could be doing.

What I do have an issue is...is with those who are using medical cannabis who DON'T have their prescription. and those who choose to use the terminology , "pot" and "marijuana".

Also...don't you feel its strange that such addictive potentially unhealthy options such as beer / cigarettes and pharmaceuticals are legal and easier to get? It has to do with corporations. do you really think they have our best interest at heart?!!

The only people I have known who try to help get medical cannabis legalized have major legit health issues or they were supporters of the use of natural medicine.

Thank you for respecting my truth as I have respected yours.

And thank you for for your thoughts!!

~~ a sista'
(not a brother)



YOU STATED:

Medical cannabis pills are not what people are growing on their property. It's not what they're selling at these Pot Shops, either. These are primarily pot smokers, pot heads who think they've found a way to get high legally. The medicine was your salvation, and hallelujah for that! But you are one of the less than 1% who actually use it medically. Most pot heads use it because they haven't learned how to do life, and are stuck in a cycle that never ends, because in order to feel good tomorrow, we have to get high again.

I got it for my own father when he was dying of cancer, for the same reason: to give him an appetite after chemo.

My problem with supposed "Medical Marijuana" is that it's a lie. The entire premise is a lie, designed primarily to help addicts get stoned, and they piggybacked on/used sick people like you in order to secure their precious drugs that they 'need' each day. They USED your pain and your suffering to secure THEIR drugs.

Cigarettes and alcohol are both legal and available in stores everywhere. Pot is illegal and Federal law prohibits it's use, possession and cultivation. The disease of addiction is so stubborn that some of the most addicted pot addicts got together and year after year, attempted to get "medical marijuana" legalized. They finally managed to use YOUR pain and suffering to twist the arms of some Californians so they can feed their selfish addictions.

Thanks for your thoughts, brother, and I'm glad you won the battle with that tumor!

[projectpeace]

"I was referring to the hundreds of medical marijuana cards I've confiscated while working in treatment, none of which were medically necessary. Not one....what I really have issue with is people getting prescriptions when they don't have any real need for the drug."


Can we judge other people's needs and choices without being judged?

It's almost as though you persist in believing that the existing system of drug "control" is working, instead of killing the planet and making life increasingly more polluted, violent, ill, hungry and difficult.

The best medicines are the one that keep you from getting sick in the first place. From essential nutrition, THC & CBDs, Cannabis serves in so many ways that it would take me twenty years to download all of it -- and it has!

I've been an international drug policy reform activist and Cannabis scholar from Hawaii to Qatar since 1992. There are some enormous distinctions being missed. If this community is interested in knowing more, please feel welcome to contact me. Ending prohibition is what I do and it's about done, so receive the rest of the good news if you care to.

Prohibition creates essential, "strategic" resource scarcity. Taking individual responsibility for our choices and the results of our lives is a responsibility we all have to Spirit, ourselves and each other One, as part of a peaceful, productive community. The way to end drug addiction is to provide a working model of what is possible through coordinated effort, regional organic agriculture and "dolphin economics" -- you help me help you help everyone.

Drugs don't make seeds, herbs do. That fact alone makes a world of difference in the short-term and long term physiological effects & benefits of Cannabis agriculture manufacture and trade, and any bureaucracy's ability to "control" anything.