By Dr. David Blair / A Green Alternative

It has been a year since A Green Alternative championed the movement to bring the first licensed medical marijuana dispensary to the City of San Diego. For me, the founder, and my co-founders it has been a life changing experience. A Green Alternative is dedicated to bringing a broad spectrum of fully tested and certified canabis products to meet the medical needs of the community.

The dispensary’s clientele are provided with the highest quality products, such as, consumables, inhalers, ointments, and over thirty different varieties of marijuana, each identified for its unique therapeutic value. The well-crafted array of products and the beautiful display layouts provides an air of elegance to the dispensaries clientele. The entire facility is so clean you can eat off the floor. The waiting room was designed with a soft touch to make the clientele feel right at home. The staff is dedicated to providing each client the specialized care they need by only allowing one client at a time into the display area so the staff can confidently evaluate the client’s needs and identify which types of products are best suited for their individual needs.

A Green Alternative spearheaded implementing standards set forth by the State and the City by going over the top, setting the gold standard that exceeded the original licensing requirements. We were required to meet “X” standards, but we insisted on raising the bar two times “X.” In fact, the City rewrote licensing requirements to mimic what A Green Alternative has implemented. In addition, many of the dispensaries clientele are serviced by a delivery service anywhere within the City limits without any additional charge. The dispensary’s self-imposed requirement is that before a client can be provided home delivery they must visit the store to be educated on what products best serves their needs.

A Green Alternative, after its first year of operation serving the community, still faces unique challenges in the evolution of the consumer friendly medical marijuana marketplace. The biggest problem legal dispensaries face are the illegal pot shops and delivery services, which pop up like weeds after a rainstorm; each time a licensed dispensary opens, three to four illegal pot shops open up right next to them.

Customer and neighborhood safety is a paramount concern to A Green Alternative. For the safety of the clientele and our delivery personnel, on their first visit they must provide proper identification to ensure only pre-qualified clients are provided this special customer care by home deliveries. The dispensary is gilded to being a model citizen by providing an armed security to greet its clientele at the entrance, which also provides heightened security for the neighbor’s who share a common parking lot. The dispensary’s motto is, “we treat our customers like our mother,” with the highest level of dignity and respect at all times.

A Green Alternative, after its first year of operation serving the community, still faces unique challenges in the evolution of the consumer friendly medical marijuana marketplace. The biggest problem legal dispensaries face are the illegal pot shops and delivery services, which pop up like weeds after a rainstorm; each time a licensed dispensary opens, three to four illegal pot shops open up right next to them.

There are over 200 of these pot shops and delivery services currently masquerading as medical marijuana dispensaries by advertising in the local publications and signage in their windows. These pot shops and delivery services sell contaminated black market products, do not pay taxes, and pay their employees in cash at the end of each day. The City is losing tens of millions in tax revenue and licensing fees because it is common knowledge they can generate illegal profits in excess of $10,000 dollars per day.

The average consumer has no idea these pot shops are not properly licensed and sell untested gained black market products. The legal dispensaries have just recently banded together and formed an association with the goal of educating consumers as to the locations of the legal dispensaries, and the competitively priced, high quality tested products they sell. In the coming weeks the legal dispensaries will have a distinctive logo as part of their advertising campaign to steer consumers into unknowingly purchasing gained untested products that fuel the underground economy.

The City of San Diego and the surrounding communities are working very hard to protect the licensed dispensaries, and eliminate the illegal completion, but the problem is enormous. Currently there are over 200 illegal pot shops and delivery services working in the City alone and new ones sprouting up everyday. City Attorney Jan I. Goldsmith’s office has to date prosecuted and shut down 286 illegal dispensaries with an additional 29 cases pending with nearly a 100% success rate. In addition, the City has benefited by a $1.8 million judgement against one illegal dispensary alone. Neighboring cities like Chula Vista and Oceanside likewise are actively shutting down the illegal dispensaries.

The City is well on its way of providing community with safe well-regulated licensed dispensaries. Everyone expects that next year consumer access to cannabis products will increase by the legalization of recreational use.

But it takes time, about 60 days from filing a lawsuit to securing a court order shuttering the dispensary. In the meantime, the illegal dispensary makes over $10,000 per day or over $600,000 and then moves on to another location where the process begins all over again. In order for the City to maximize the tax revenue and drive the criminals form the marketplace, each citizen should step up to the plate and file a complaint when any pot shot or delivery service moves into their community.

Citizens can help their communities by contacting their local Code Compliance Departments and for those residents in the City of San Diego by filing a complaint on-line at www.sandiego.gov/ced.report/index.shtml.

The San Diego community has come a long way with the common sense guidance provided by our local elected officials and the dedication of licensed medical marijuana dispensaries. The City is well on its way of providing community with safe well-regulated licensed dispensaries. Everyone expects that next year consumer access to cannabis products will increase by the legalization of recreational use.

With community involvement and regulations, the anticipated tax revenues will provide relief for cash strapped communities. For instance, legalized recreational use in Colorado generated over $63 million in tax revenue. In the meantime, local governments are quickly learning how to shut down the illegal operations and enacting ordinances to allow licensed dispensaries to operate in their communities. This is truly a spirited effort by all involved to bring the cannabis industry into the mainstream of our economy.

______________

Dr. David Blair is the founder and owner of A Green Alternative, the first legally licensed medical marijuana consumer cooperative in San Diego County.