[420 Girl]

Kim Siani wants to open a medical marijuana dispensary in the city.

The 40-year-old resident said in order to fill his prescription, he has to drive one hour south to San Mateo or into San Francisco, where he has trouble finding parking and frequently has to wait.

“It’s a hassle,” he said. “The City is the hardest time and I don’t have an hour to spend going to San Mateo for my prescription.”

Siani has not submitted his application to operate a medical marijuana dispensary, but has already signed on with a Southern California-based company under the name Soultree Art of Healing Co-op to receive help with such business details as revenue and taxation management.

Daly City officials are not pleased with the idea.

“I look at issues of safety and of who might be exposed and who wouldn’t be,” Daly City Mayor Sal Torres said. “Daly City is not the mecca for people who might have prescriptions for this kind of product.”

There are four medical marijuana dispensaries listed in San Mateo County, according to the San Francisco Cannabis Directory. They are in Belmont, Moss Beach, San Mateo and Redwood City.

There are 27 dispensaries in San Francisco.

Another dispensary tried to open last year, according to Torres, but the permit was turned down because its proposed location was too close to residences.

California voters approved use of marijuana for medical purposes in 1996 under Proposition 215. Patients can possess up to six mature or 12 immature plants and up to a half-pound of dried, processed marijuana, according to the law.

And although possession of marijuana is not legal under federal law, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said in February that the Justice Department would no longer raid medical marijuana clubs that are established legally under states’ laws.

Torres said he understands the need for marijuana as medicine, but he would not want a pot club near residences or any establishment used by children.

Fears that a dispensary would bring crime or a corrupting influence to a neighborhood is something the growing industry is trying to shake, said Charlie Larsen, president of Medical Marijuana Inc., the company Siani is using to help start and run his proposed cooperative.

By helping marijuana dispensaries comply with regulation and tax laws, his company bridges the gap between regulators and industry operators, Larsen said.

“We’re part of the community,” he said of dispensaries. “Once people see that we’re paying taxes and compliant with regulations, the business will work better.”

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