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Revision as of 01:57, 17 December 2023

Berkeley Patients Group
Company typePrivate
IndustryMedical cannabis, advocacy
Founded1999; 25 years ago (1999)
HeadquartersBerkeley, California, U.S.
Websitemybpg.com

The Berkeley Patients Group (BPG) is the oldest continuously operating cannabis dispensary in the United States, inaugurated in 1999 in Berkeley, California.[1] BPG has been known not only for cannabis dispensation, but also for its involvement in advocacy campaigns for cannabis policy reforms and the rights of patients using marijuana for medical purposes,[2] and for its involvement with the scientific community.

The BPG has been praised by successive Mayors of Berkeley Tom Bates[3] and Jesse Arreguín[4] and described as "embraced by local officials as a model business that donates to the poor and pays millions in taxes."[5]

History

In the 1990s, AIDS patient Jim McClelland, known for coining the name Oaksterdam, had worked at the Oakland Cannabis Buyers Club. After the buyers club's closure, McClelland joined forces with Debby Goldsberry[6] and Don Duncan[7] to open a similar cannabis dispensary in Berkeley.[8] On 31 October 1999, the group obtained a miscellaneous retail sales permit from authorities in Berkeley,[9] a city where "officials were more responsive to activists and aware of the importance of medical marijuana provision to their constituents."[10]

McClelland died in 2001, and Duncan left BPG in 2004.[11] Debby Goldsberry continued to operate the BPG with Etienne Fontan and others.

The group aimed to "create a safe place where underserved patients can acquire high-quality medicine in a welcoming, community-centric environment",[9] but legislation at the time did not allow proper business operations or legal certainty for medical cannabis dispensation. On 4 November 2008, after years of advocacy for it by the three dispansaries operating at the time,[8][10] voters finally approved the citizen-initiative "Measure JJ" in the City of Berkeley which, among other provisions:

Permitted medical marijuana dispensaries "as a matter of right" under the zoning ordinance rather than through a use permit subject to a public hearing.[12]

The measure allowed the BPG to obtain a business license in 2009[8] and to operate as a certified B Corporation.[13] Following the 2016 approval of Adult Use of Marijuana Act (California Proposition 64), the BPG opened its sales to non-patients in January 2018, being the first dispensary in the Bay area to obtain temporary permit.[4]

Prosecutions

During its decades of operations under a changing State and federal legislation, the BPG was subject to a number of raids and criminal prosecutions, some of which were publicized in the media.

In 2007, during an episode of wave of letters to dispensaries' landlords,[14] the BPG was raided and their assets seized.[15] In 2012, during a coordinated crackdown on California's dispensaries announced by district chief prosecutors, the BPG has to close again briefly.[3]

Activities

Dispensation of cannabis

Activism

Since its inception the group had to engage in advocacy to defend the legality of their activities.[8]

BPG members like Debby Goldsberry were also involved in organizing some of the first "420 events" on 20 April in Berkeley.[16] Duncan was involved in the creation of Americans for Safe Access.

Etienne Fontan has been involved in advocacy at federal level with the National Cannabis Industry Association and the Veterans Action Council. In recent years, Fontan has also been involved with Michael Krawitz[17] and the NGOs ENCOD, FAAAT, and Fields of Green for All at the United Nations, sharing the history and experience of the BPG in conferences[18] and statements.[19]

Participation in scientific research

In 2009, 350 patients from the BPG participated in a study on "Cannabis as a substitute for alcohol and other drugs."[20]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Berkeley Patients Group, Nation's Oldest Dispensary, Celebrates 20 Years with $1MM for Good Campaign". www.businesswire.com. 2019-09-11. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  2. ^ Yoon-Hendricks, Alexandra (2018). "First sales of recreational marijuana in Berkeley usher in 'whole new era'". UWIRE Text. Gale Academic OneFile.
  3. ^ a b Brooks, Jon (2012-03-15). "Interview: Mayor Tom Bates Laments Closing of Berkeley Patients Group Marijuana Dispensary". KQED. Retrieved 2023-12-17.
  4. ^ a b "Berkeley Mayor Celebrates the First Day of Adult Use Cannabis Sales at Nation's Longest Running Dispensary". www.businesswire.com. 2018-01-01. Retrieved 2023-12-17.
  5. ^ Montgomery, Michael; Downs, David (2012-03-15). "Pot Dispensary Berkeley Patients Group to Close, Looking to Relocate". KQED. Retrieved 2023-12-17.
  6. ^ "The 100 Most Influential People in Cannabis". High Times. 2018-05-21. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  7. ^ Scharfenberg, David (2002). "Pot club closes following robbery". The Berkeley Daily Planet. Retrieved 2023-12-17.
  8. ^ a b c d Schiller, Melissa; Fontan, Etienne (2019). "Berkeley Patients Group Turns 20: Compassionate Beginnings". cannabisbusinesstimes.com. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  9. ^ a b Berkeley Patients Group (2019). "Our History". myBPG.com. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  10. ^ a b Heddleston, Thomas (2013). "A Tale of Three Cities: Medical Marijuana, Activism, and Local Regulation in California". Humboldt Journal of Social Relations (35): 123–143.
  11. ^ Martin, Jennifer. "Meet the Team". NY Cannabis Licensing Support. Retrieved 2023-12-17.
  12. ^ "City of Berkeley Medical Marijuana Initiative, Measure JJ (November 2008)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  13. ^ Groshoff, David (2013). "CONTREPRENEURSHIP? EXAMINING SOCIAL ENTERPRISE LEGISLATION'S FEEL-GOOD GOVERNANCE GIVEAWAYS". University of Pennsylvania Journal of Business Law. 16 (1). 266.
  14. ^ Novack, Janet. "Owner Of First U.S. Marijuana Pharmacy Now Broke And Fighting IRS". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-12-17.
  15. ^ Scherr, Judith (2007). "Medical Marijuana Supporters Rally After Raid. Category: Page One from The Berkeley Daily Planet". www.berkeleydailyplanet.com. Retrieved 2023-12-17.
  16. ^ Goldstein, Chris (2013). "How 420 became a marijuana holiday". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2023-12-17.
  17. ^ "Veterans Action Council & NCIA Lobbies with Etienne Fontan & Michael Krawitz". The National Cannabis Industry Association. Retrieved 2023-12-17.
  18. ^ United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2022). "Global access to medicinal cannabis: programmes, challenges and solutions; Organized by the European Coalition for Just and Effective Drug Policies with the support of the Veterans Action Council". Side Event report, 65th session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (Compiled by the Secretariat to the Governing Bodies) (PDF). p. 35.
  19. ^ ENCOD (December 2, 2020). Support patient access to medicine, vote yes! Statement submitted by a non-governmental organization in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council [E/CN.7/2020/NGO/7]. Commission on Narcotic Drugs, Reconvened sixty-third session, Vienna, December 2–4, 2020, Item 5 of the provisional agenda: Implementation of the international drug control treaties. Vienna: United Nations.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  20. ^ Reiman, Amanda (2009-12-03). "Cannabis as a substitute for alcohol and other drugs". Harm Reduction Journal. 6 (1): 35. doi:10.1186/1477-7517-6-35. ISSN 1477-7517. PMC 2795734. PMID 19958538.
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