USA - US Coffeeshops???

[Alfa]

I keep hearing rumours about USA coffeeshops. I would like to know more about them. Please share info about how US coffeeshops look. How they operate. Subtle and under the radar or in your face? Are they big? Are these cannabis selling coffeeshops there or are they more café's with a dealer? Or are these rumours about cannabis clubs?
Photos would be appreciated if this does not bring the coffeeshop in trouble.

[fnord]

I know of a few places that top your food off with some pot butter and one place thats open twice a week that allows open smoking of tobbaco/cannibis but they are completly under the radar and quite private. I think this is something that would be more common in california though. head shops also sell pot openly in tyhrte display cases at local pot/music festivals but this isnt really a coffee shope type setup.

Sorry no pics for you!

[Herbal Healer 019]

If there are any coffee shops (which I highly doubt they are open about it) they will be shut down by the DEA soon enough. The federal government does not, under any circumstances, tolerate the devil's harvest here in the states

[Alfa]

Some relating threads:
New Massachusetts Rules Allow Having Hashish
Voters approve marijuana law change in Massachusetts
Medical Marijuana vending machines (World's First Weed ATM)

I think it would be really beneficial for the world to see how the USA is becoming more liberal. Especially since The Netherlands is actively trying to get rid of all coffeeshops, headshops, smartshops, hydroponics stores, hemp fairs and any other thing related to drugs. While the Dutch see themselves as the narco state of the world that allows things like nowhere else.

[Hollow Hippie]

I hope the USA continues to become more socially accepting of things like cannabis. I think far more tolerant policies regarding many taboo or illegal subjects will hopefully put the USA under better light with the world. But I think the states have some distance ago, I mean we can't even let homosexual people love.

[abraham]

An open coffeeshop here in the states is a long way off in swims opinion. Swim would think 30 or 40 years off unfortunatly. Just swims opinion. We are comming along but very slowly

[twizzlah]

Harbor Side in Oakland. You need a medical recommendation which will run you about 150-300$ for a special doctor's visit for your medicinal cannabis card. It is not federal law yet but states are individually legalizing it similar to the early legalization of gay marriage laws. The feds bust clubs all the time for not abiding by the strict state guidelines. There's a lot here in the Bay Area

[fnord]

Originally Posted by twizzlah

Harbor Side in Oakland. You need a medical recommendation which will run you about 150-300$ for a special doctor's visit for your medicinal cannabis card. It is not federal law yet but states are individually legalizing it similar to the early legalization of gay marriage laws. The feds bust clubs all the time for not abiding by the strict state guidelines. There's a lot here in the Bay Area

Are you referencing to a dispensary? or a coffee shop?

[Alfa]

I was referring to all semi-legal sales outlets of cannabis in the USA.

[RTKNemzek]

I really don't know of any except for if your on the east coast of the US. In virginia beach and down in Mrtyle beach south carolina their are a couple of places that are bars but in the back rooms they allow everyone to blaze but their is never any info about it and you will never hear about it unless you just happen to walk inside. Very private also.

[jgarlopa]

Such places only exist in California, the only state to allow medical dispensaries. You need a prescription in order to buy from them, and not all of them have separate rooms where you are allowed to medicate on site. Cowboy paid $80 for his doctor's recommendation and can now buy from any dispensary in the state. In the City of LA, there are about 600-700 medical cann dispensaries, or one for every 6k people, MUCH more than in SF, where they are quite severely regulated. In some ways, the weed scene in California is better than in NL, since those who have a medical license are allowed to buy more, up to 8 ounces at a time for personal use (if the store is willing to sell that much). I don't know any pothead who only smokes the measly 5 grams allowed in Dutch coffee shops.

[Alfa]

Indeed. The Dutch are creating their own problem with this maximum, because people have to go buy new daily are every few days. If they would allow ounches, then this would only be a monthly affair.

[terrapinzflyer]

The only legal operating ones are in CA - and they are only for those with a Medical Marijuana card. To get a card one must be over 18 (though I believe it is possible to get a card if under 18 but you then must be accompanied by a legal guardian). First one must get a Doctors Recommendation - which is even easier then finding a traditional script doctor. There are billboards offering Med MJ evaluations throughout CA and many offer online prescreening - basically telling one everything they need to say.

Then one takes the doctors recommendation and gets a medical marijuana card . While in some counties this is a simple procedure, many counties, especially outside of the main cities, still do not issue cards, and state law (I think) requires one to obtain the card in the county where they reside. One of the main dispensaries/collectives in Oakland issues their own cards, and these are widely, though not universally, accepted in the state. Many choose to go this route even if they live in a county that issues cards because it keeps one out of the local database.

Oakland, across the Bay from San Francisco, has an area known as Oaksterdam. And yes- there are coffee shops. The Bulldog Cafe and Blue Sky are the early ones. (not sure if the Bulldog has any link to the Dutch Bulldog other then name)

The Oaksterdam Map Key

A* Bulldog Coffeeshop, 1739 Broadway
*** Four Seaesons Hydro, 1735 Broadway
*** The Co-op Stop, 1733 Broadway
B* SR-71, 377 - 17th St.
C* Oaksterdam News, 376 15th St.
D* Oaksterdam Gift Shop, 405 15th St.
E* Post office, 1446 Franklin St.
F** Frank Ogawa Plaza
G* Medicann, 1814 Franklin # 901
H* Fox Theater, 1850 Telegraph
I** CARE, 701 Broadway
J** Paramount Theater
K* Kaiser rooftop garden
L** Lake Merritt Park boat rentals
M* Norcal MMJ, 1504 Franklin St.
N* Van Kleef Cafe, 1621 Telegraph Ave.
O* Americans for Safe Access (ASA), 1322 Webster #208
P* Paid parking

Am also aware of a number of others operating "under the radar" in other states- some in Oregon turtle knows of firsthand, others just word of mouth. But again, limited to med mj patients (in theory at least- rules do get bent...)


should be noted that besides cannabis and cannabis products these shops also sell clones.

Am assuming that the rule on price discussion also applies here so... Turtle thought he should clarify that statement One of the legal problems swirling around med mj in CA is the ill defined section of law which prohibits profit but allows for something like "recouping of associated costs" . The prices charged varies considerably, and at least some of the early DEA and State raids centered on the profit issue. There is also no clear section of the law defining OTC sales- which is what has led to the District Attorney for LA recently declaring virtually all dispensaries in LA to be operating illegally.


Blue Sky has some good pics on their site (go to goodsearch.com, choose M.A.P.S. to recieve the $ and search for them) . The photos are in Flash so no way to copy them to post as far as I know.

[averath]

In SWIM's state, dispensaries are legal. Her boyfriend got a medical marijuana license, and having been to the coffeeshops in Europe said it was much the same. SWIY can buy different strains, or baked goods (he bought SWIM a cookie, it was pretty damn strong), and the price was a bit lower than street price for the same quality.

[jgarlopa]

Originally Posted by averath

In SWIM's state, dispensaries are legal. Her boyfriend got a medical marijuana license, and having been to the coffeeshops in Europe said it was much the same. SWIY can buy different strains, or baked goods (he bought SWIM a cookie, it was pretty damn strong), and the price was a bit lower than street price for the same quality.

And which of the 50 states is that? I thought CA was the only one...