Sheriff's Office Says no to Redwood City Pot Club

Jacob Bell

New Member
REDWOOD CITY, CA -- The latest person hoping to open a pot club in San Mateo County is slated to receive a hearing in October, but like all 10 previous applicants he's received a thumbs down from the sheriff.

The Sheriff's Office has recommended that the License Board deny Robert Bueno's bid to set up shop in unincorporated Redwood City at a hearing proposed for Oct. 31. Retired Sheriff's detective Sgt. Bryan Cassandro wrote in a report that the proposed Mid-Peninsula Health Center at 2853 El Camino Real would violate the county's medical-marijuana ordinance.

The rules prohibit pot collectives from selling marijuana and require members to have a significant role in the group's operations. Bueno, 37, wrote in his application that the collective wouldn't include any members whose only contribution is cash.

But Cassandro noted that Bueno, who said there won't be a cap on the number of members, hasn't made clear how all those people will be involved in the collective's operations.

There are no sanctioned medical-marijuana dispensaries operating in San Mateo County. One is open for business in East Palo Alto, but officials there are trying to shut it down. East Palo Alto is one of several county cities, including Millbrae, San Bruno and Half Moon Bay, that have banned pot clubs.

The three-member License Board, which includes one representative each from the Sheriff's Office and health and planning departments, has approved just one collective since 2009.

The Sheriff's Office and others later appealed that approval to the Board of Supervisors. The applicants ultimately withdrew their proposal. They, like nine other would-be pot club operators, were recommended for denial by the sheriff.

The news hasn't been all bad for the would-be club. According to a report from the Planning Department, it complies with the county requirement that schools and youth centers be at least 1,000 feet away. That provision forced the closure or rejection of applications for a handful of clubs.

Bueno didn't immediately respond to a phone message Monday afternoon.

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News Hawk- Jacob Ebel 420 MAGAZINE
Source: mercurynews.com
Author: Joshua Melvin
Contact: Contact Us
Copyright: San Jose Mercury News
Website: Sheriff's Office Says no to Redwood City Pot Club
 
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