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DISPENSARIES CAN BE GOOD NEIGHBORS Medical cannabis dispensing collectives are typically positive additions to the neighbor- hoods in which they locate, bringing addition- al customers to neighboring businesses and reducing crime in the immediate area. Like any new business that serves a different customer base than the existing businesses in the area, dispensaries increase the revenue of other businesses in the surrounding area sim- ply because new people are coming to access services, increasing foot traffic past other establishments. In many communities, the opening of a dispensary has helped revitalize an area. While patients tend to opt for dis- pensaries that are close and convenient, par- ticularly since travel can be difficult, many patients will travel to dispensary locations in parts of town they would not otherwise visit. Even if patients are not immediately utilizing the services or purchasing the goods offered by neighboring businesses, they are more like- ly to eventually patronize those businesses because of convenience. ASA's survey of officials whose cities have passed dispensary regulations found that the vast majority of businesses adjoining or near dispensaries had reported no problems associ- ated with a dispensary opening after the implementation of regulation. Kriss Worthington, longtime councilmember in Berkeley, said in support of a dispensary there, "They have been a responsible neigh- bor and vital organization to our diverse com- munity. Since their opening, they have done an outstanding job keeping the building clean, neat, organized and safe. In fact, we have had no calls from neighbors complaining about them, which is a sign of respect from the com- munity. In Berkeley, even average restaurants and stores have complaints from neighbors." Mike Rotkin, fifth term councilmember and former four term mayor in the City of Santa Cruz said about the dispensary that opened there last year, "The immediately neighboring businesses have been uniformly supportive or neutral. There have been no complaints either about establishing it or running it." Mark Keilty, Planning and Building director of Tulare, when asked if the existence of dispen- saries affected local business, said they had "no effect or at least no one has complained." And Dave Turner, mayor of Fort Bragg, noted that before the passage of regulations there were "plenty of complaints from both neigh- boring businesses and concerned citizens," but since then, it is no longer a problem. Public officials understand that, when it comes to dispensaries, they must balance both the humanitarian needs of patients and the concerns of the public, especially those of neighboring residents and business owners. Oakland City councilmember Nancy J. Nadel wrote in an open letter to her fellow col- leagues across the state, "Local government has a responsibility to the medical needs of its people, even when it's not a politically easy choice to make. We have found it possible to build regulations that address the concerns of neighbors, local businesses law enforcement and the general public, while not compromis- ing the needs of the patients themselves. We've found that by working with all inter- ested parities in advance of adopting an ordi- nance while keeping the patients' needs foremost, problems that may seem inevitable never arise." Mike Rotkin of Santa Cruz stated that since Santa Cruz enacted an ordinance for dispen- saryoperations, "Things have calmed down. The police are happy with the ordinance, and that has made things a lot easier. I think the fact that we took the time to give people who wrote us respectful and detailed expla- nations of what we were doing and why made a real difference." For more information, see vww~.AmericansForSafeACCess.org or contact the ASA office at t-888-929-4367 or 510-251-1856. 9