San Francisco, CA
San Francisco dispensaries struggling as they continue to compete with illegal market
The co-owner of a San Francisco marijuana dispensary says it’s a challenge to draw in customers lately.
Nate Haas operates Moe Greens Dispensary & Lounge in San Francisco as co-owner and CEO.
“We’re charging our customers way too much. As a dispensary, it’s tough for us to compete with the illicit market,” said Nate Haas of Moe Greens Dispensary & Lounge.
That black market includes illegal grow operations, distribution, and unlicensed dispensaries. California Governor Gavin Newsom touted California as the largest legal cannabis market in the world, but licensed cannabis dispensaries are struggling to compete with the black market.
Meanwhile, a team of law enforcement officers are cracking down on illegal operators. It’s one part of the state’s efforts to even the playing field and cultivate a legal marketplace.
Kevin McInearny is a commander with the California Unified Cannabis Enforcement Task Force.
“We exist to specifically deal with the illicit market,” said McInearny.
UCETF officers raided what they say is an uncommon unlicensed dispensary in downtown San Rafael, serving a warrant, detaining two individuals, and seizing all products.
“Instead of single dispensaries, our focus is on organized crime. The more significant violations associated with the cannabis market, including labor trafficking tax evasion the weapons charges,” said McInearney.
The state task force has seized more than $53 million in illegal cannabis in the first quarter of this calendar year and shut down several indoor operations in the Bay Area.
“It starts with the cultivators. There is a lot of indoor cultivation in the area, especially in the East Bay mostly run by Chinese organized crime,” said McInerarney.
Legal dispensary owners like Haas are skeptical law enforcement can make enough of a dent in the illegal market. They believe the only way to survive is if lawmakers slash taxes on cannabis products and more.
“If you tax them out of existence which has happened to a lot of our growers, manufacturers and distributors, it’s going to be difficult for a lot of people to continue,” said Haas.
A national survey conducted in 2022 by Whitney Economics, a cannabis industry research firm, found that fewer than one in four cannabis businesses were profitable.
“We want them to be successful. So in essence everything we do is either to protect the public or to support the legal market and generally those are the same thing at the same time,” said McIneraney.
“We keep cutting and cutting and cutting. With all those cuts, it’s just a tougher environment,” said Haas.
Haas is optimistic despite the hurdles and challenges, and that everything won’t go up in smoke just yet.
Newsom created the Unified Cannabis Enforcement Task Force in 2022. Since inception, UCETF has seized $371,199,431 in unlicensed cannabis through 236 search warrants.
San Francisco, CA
San Francisco Takes Down Flag Found at Justice Alito’s House and Called a ‘Jan. 6 Symbol’ by the NYT — After Flying It for the Last 60 Years
(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
The city of San Francisco has taken down an “Appeal to Heaven” flag that’s flown in its Civic Central Plaza for 60 years after the The New York Times described it as a “January 6 symbol” in a piece noting that it flew at a beach home owned by Supreme Court Justice Sam Alito and his wife.
The white flag, which depicts a pine tree in the center of it with the words “An Appeal to Heaven” emblazoned above it, was taken down by the city on Saturday, around three and a half years after the January 6 Capitol riot took place and just a few days after the Times piece castigating Alito for flying it came out.
It was first raised by the city in 1964 as part of a project to highlight various flags of historical significance to the country. The Appeal to Heaven flag was designed by George Washington’s private secretary and flown by the commanding general of the Continental Army during the American Revolution. Pine trees were a symbol of resistance in revolutionary-era New England and the quote comes from John Locke’s Second Treatise on Government.
Nevertheless, the Times insinuated — and Alito’s left-wing critics insisted — that it constituted proof of the Justice’s allegiance to 2020 election conspiracy theories. “Justice Alito’s Beach House Displayed ‘Appeal to Heaven’ Flag, a Jan. 6 Symbol,” read one of the headlines affixed to the article.
In a letter rejecting calls for his recusal from January 6-related cases on Wednesday, Alito wrote that he “had no involvement in the decision to fly that flag” and noted that his “wife is fond of flying flags.”
He continued:
I was not familiar with the “Appeal to Heaven” flag when my wife flew it. She may have mentioned that it dates back to the American Revolution, and I assumed she was flying it to express a religious and patriotic message. I was not aware of any connection between this historic flag and the “Stop the Steal Movement,” and neither was my wife. She did not fly it to associate herself with that or any other group, and the use of an old historic flag by a new group does not necessarily drain that flag of all other meanings.
“A reasonable person who is not motivated by political or ideological considerations or a desire to affect the outcome of Supreme Court cases would conclude that this event does not meet the applicable standard for recusal,” added Alito. “I am therefore duty-bound to reject your recusal request.”
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San Francisco, CA
Hunters Point Tennis Courts, originally dedicated by Arthur Ashe, reopened in San Francisco
The project was a joint collaboration between Youth Tennis Advantage (YTA), the San Francisco Housing Authority, and San Franciscans for Sports and Recreation (SFFSR). The upgrade cost $271,000—$223,000 contributed by the SFFSR, and the additional $48,000 coming from the USTA Foundation.
“Congratulations to YTA for getting the Hunters Point courts back up and running,” said Gilbert. “It’s exactly what the community needs. There’s nothing better than tennis courts and helping kids. It’s a pillar of the community with education.”
“Having these beautiful four tennis courts where YTA has been running this program for all these years, it’s just going to revitalize everything that they’re doing,” said Seth Socolow, volunteer executive director for SFFSR.
San Francisco, CA
Fentanyl laced with animal tranquilizer leading to overdoses across US; supervisor urges SF to test
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — A new drug could be on the streets in San Francisco. A city supervisor is sounding the alarm, asking the city to test for the new opioid that is leading to hundreds of overdoses in multiple cities across the county.
Fentanyl took the lives of more than 600 people in San Francisco in 2023.
Now, experts say Fentanyl is being laced with a new drug that could lead to an even greater toll.
“The city of Chicago, Philadelphia, Indianapolis, and also Toronto and Vancouver are seen Medetomidine adulterating the fentanyl drug supply. This is a very potent and dangerous animal tranquilizer,” said Matt Dorsey, SF Supervisor.
RESOURCES: Get help with addiction, substance abuse issues
San Francisco Supervisor Matt Dorsey sent a letter to the city’s health department and the medical examiner’s office asking that the potent animal tranquilizer be added to the hundreds of drugs tested every year giving San Francisco a chance to respond.
“I want to make sure that San Francisco is ready for this. I know that in Philadelphia just in the last month in 3-4 days there were more than 600 people hospitalized from Medetomidine because it was laced with fentanyl drug supply,” said Supervisor Dorsey.
UCSF’s Dr. Daniel Ciccarone has been studying drugs for decades.
MORE: SF doctors observe fentanyl side effect that causes people to be completely bent over after use
The effects of fentanyl continue to linger on as a person continues with their daily life, in most cases awake but not able to stand up straight.
“The concern is that because its sedating that could go in the wrong direction when you’re already on sedating opioid like fentanyl now you have two sedating drugs. A double downer and that will increase the risk for overdose,” said Ciccarone.
We got a rare look inside the San Francisco Medical Examiner’s toxicology lab. More than 200 substances are tested for every case.
MORE: Walgreens announces it will sell a generic version of over-the-counter Narcan
Dr. Luke Rodda, San Francisco’s Chief Forensic toxicologist said they are constantly detecting different types of drugs
“The last several years we have noticed drugs such as Xylazine but also Bromazolam. Both designer or drugs that were previously used in other areas of our industries such as veterinary drugs. Also been found in decedents of an accidental overdose,” said Dr. Rodda.
MORE: CHP seizes 42 pounds of fentanyl, enough to kill entire SF population nearly 12 times over
Now they have Medetomidine to add to the list.
“We periodically update our test regime when feasible and that certainly a substance that we would add to our list testing regime,” said Dr. Rodda.
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