Marijuana businesses in Alameda???

Image caption: Map of locations in Alameda recommended for sales, cultivation, and manufacturing. RED areas are possible locations for the three dispensaries recommended.

On Sept. 5, @ 5:30 pm, the Alameda city council is holding a 1.5 hour meeting at city hall to present proposed plans for marijuana sales, cultivation, and manufacturing. This is the time to express your opinions and ask questions! – e.g., what measures are being proposed to protect children and are they enough? Under state law, cities can adopt additional controls and restrictions to marijuana businesses and can decide not to have any marijuana businesses at all. They need your input to decide.

Most of the public input so far has come from two pro-cannabis groups. Many of the best practices and lessons learned from the alcohol and tobacco control advocates have not been considered. Tobacco use is at an all time low due to 27 years of prevention education, local policies and control.

Our neighbors to the south -- San Leandro -- have adopted a cannabis law which is much more protective of children. They have a 1,000 feet buffer zone (vs. 600 feet for Alameda) and they protect more locations, like parks, playgrounds, places of religious worship, libraries, etc.

For details, please see the staff report on the city’s webpage for city council agendas.

If you cannot attend the meeting on Tuesday, then please let the mayor and council know how you feel and/or what questions you'd like answered. Mayor Trish Spencer, Vice Mayor Melia Vella, Jim Oddie, Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft, Frank Matarrese.

For information about the known health impacts of marijuana use for teens, please see the CDC's What Parents Need to Know About Marijuana and Teens 2017.

For information about the impact of legalized marijuana in Colorado, please see these recent articles on traffic fatalities and pot problems in Colorado schools that began after medical marijuana was approved in 2010.

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