La Jolla Neighbors Fuming Over Marijuana Co-op

A medical marijuana co-op has some residents asking, 'Why Bird Rock?'

By JACQUES SPITZER

Updated 5:50 PM PST, Mon, Sep 28, 2009

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San Diego Holistic Healing facility has some residents concerned.

Dave Schwab/La Jolla Light

A spokesman for the San Diego Holistic Healing medical marijuana cooperative claims it's legitimate, but Bird Rock residents have concerns.

Some critics are worried that the facility, located in the 5500 block of La Jolla Boulevard is really just a front for illegal activity, reported the La Jolla Light. A spokesman for the co-op, however, said their fears are unfounded and that the establishment is legitimate.

The spokesman who identified himself to the paper as Marquis, told the La Jolla Light that "it's a members-only cooperative. We don't sell [marijuana] for a profit, just exchange it for donations, which is only enough to keep the doors open."

Marquis also said that members must have cards from physicians certifying that they have medical conditions that can benefit from marijuana use. Among the illnesses covered by the cards are cancer, AIDs, arthritis and depression.

Some residents are outraged by the facility. Among their concerns is the co-op’s proximity to Bird Rock Elementary School and that the co-op operates with nothing more than a standard business license with little regulation, reported the paper.

"If there are people who can medicinally benefit from this, people seem to be OK with that,” Joe LaCava, the Bird Rock Community Council president, told the paper. "But with all these dispensaries popping up, the concern is they're really just a front for inappropriate behavior. The city is moving in the right direction to put very firm rules in place."

Marquis told the paper that the cooperative intends to follow all the rules.

"If you were going to do something illegal, wouldn't it make sense to do it behind closed doors?" Marquis said to the paper. "We don't have a sign in front because we're not in business for the general public. People walking by wouldn't know about our location unless they have a card or a reason to know."