Medical cannabis is expanding to the Sunset and San Francisco Supervisor Katy Tang, who represents District 4, needs to make sure she has accurate information, mainly, that medical marijuana has helped millions of sick people in states across the country, and has been a legitimate treatment option in California for 20 years. Currently, the Apothecarium, one of the city's most respected medical cannabis dispensaries, is seeking to open a facility in the Sunset, a reliably conservative district. It's not surprising that there is opposition to the plan, but what is shocking is that some Sunset residents and others have allowed themselves to be influenced by an anti-LGBT hate group and a church pastor who claims �" without evidence �" that relatives of parishioners have died from pot overdoses. There is absolutely no truth to that hysterical assertion, made by Chris Ng, pastor at the Lutheran Church of the Holy Spirit. A Huffington Post story in 2015 reported that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there have been zero deaths from marijuana overdoses.
If, as Ng said at a March 15 news conference, there had been "several" marijuana overdose deaths, the media would be all over that story, no matter where the deaths occurred. Not surprisingly, Ng did not provide more information (because he couldn't), but just putting that claim out there has ginned up opponents, who are likely to repeat these fact-free rumors to decision-makers and others responsible for public policy.
Tang must keep an open mind and not be manipulated by Ng or another opponent, the Pacific Justice Institute, named by the Southern Poverty Law Center as an anti-LGBT hate group. It's the organization that tried, unsuccessfully, to remove the open-air urinal at Mission Dolores Park last year, so that gives you an idea of its priorities.
Twenty-eight states and the District of Columbia have enacted medical cannabis laws; California was the first, back in 1996. If there were a problem with marijuana overdose deaths, health officials would have sounded the alarm �" which has not happened. What has occurred is that more and more people are turning to the medicine to alleviate a variety of symptoms, from reducing chronic pain to managing nausea during chemotherapy to improving the appetite of those living with HIV/AIDS. And it's not just smoking joints; medical cannabis has evolved into a multibillion-dollar business, with new varieties of edibles and oils regularly coming to market. Dispensaries like the Apothecarium employ trained professionals to counsel patients and offer educational programs.
We're concerned that Tang is falling into a trap set by cannabis opponents, whereby an outside group whips up a few local hangers-on into a frenzy, allowing fantastical claims to overwhelm the facts. Tang has told us that communications to her office have been running "seven-to-one" against the Apothecarium's proposed Sunset dispensary, but doesn't know how many emails and phone calls her office has received. As an Apothecarium official asked us, how can she know the ratio of opposition if she doesn't know the total number? She has been made aware that there are 3,500 Apothecarium members in her district, and they're supportive of the dispensary's expansion. Tang also met with local resident Frank Lee, a spokesman for PJI. We know supervisors meet with lots of people and we don't fault her for that, but Lee's closeness to Ng (both were at the news conference) should give the supervisor pause, especially given Ng's bogus pot overdose statements.
There may be legitimate reasons for District 4 residents to oppose the Apothecarium's Sunset dispensary, but fake information should not be part of the equation or play a role as Tang studies the issue. She told us she has not taken a position, because she'd have to recuse herself if the matter comes before the board. But as she gathers information and hears from constituents, Tang needs to leave all options open, and not discount Apothecarium officials simply because they run a dispensary. After all, the Apothecarium has a good reputation in the Castro, where the merchants group has said there haven't been problems associated with its operation.
The Apothecarium has worked conscientiously with the community and held outreach meetings in the Sunset. Unfortunately, opponents have reacted by shouting down speakers instead of engaging in real dialogue. Tang should elevate the conversation by batting down these false claims of pot overdose deaths so that the discussion can focus on real concerns residents may have, and what the Apothecarium will do to mitigate them.