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Volume Two V2 Issue 5 Ten years later, Oaksterdam is still on the cutting edge of cannabis culture
Volume Two V2 Issue 5 Ten years later, Oaksterdam is still on the cutting edge of cannabis culture
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Oaksterdam News
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| Ten years later, Oaksterdam is still on the cutting edge of cannabis culture |
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| Written by rev hemp | |
 OAKLAND LANDMARK — The Bulldog Coffeeshop, far right, was the second cannabis outlet to open in the city in the early days of Oaksterdam. Its name is similar to one of the first cannabis coffeeshops to open in Amsterdam in the 1970s. The OCBC relocated to what is now the Co-op Stop. Oaksterdam News photo by Jaime Galindo. After five years of struggle Oaksterdam had become the epicenter of cannabis politics by 2001. The OCBC (Oakland Cannabis Buyers’ Collective) continued to issue medical marijuana ID cards and operate a hemp store while the civil injunction against Oakland’s first dispensary was appealed to the US Supreme Court. A year earlier the Bulldog Coffeeshop had opened to serve the growing demand for cannabis products while The Zoo dispensary relocated to 1901 Telegraph and became CARE. The Hemp Bank and Crystal Diamond clubs operated briefly during this time. Despite the Supreme Court ruling against the OCBC in 2001, Oaksterdam continued to grow. Larry Kristich opened the first Compassionate Caregivers at 1740 Telegraph, which would eventually expand to seven locations across the state before collapsing. Mark Belote tastefully remodeled the original Zoo dispensary location to create The Lemondrop Coffeeshop in 2002. In 2003 Richard Lee founded the Oakland Civil Liberties Alliance and launched Coffeeshop SR 71. More outlets opened such as Oakland Compassionate Healing Center on Grand Avenue, The Green Door at 1521 Webster, and The 420 Cafe / Dragonfly, which introduced purple cannabis to Oakland at 1733 Telegraph. The local economy increased by an estimated $26 million at the height of Old Oaksterdam. In 2004 Oakland became the first city to tax and regulate cannabis outlets, charging $20,000 permit fees but limiting the number of dispensaries to four in a political compromise. Permits were awarded to CARE, SR 71, Compassionate Caregivers, and OCHC. The Lemondrop closed while The Green Door moved to San Francisco and The Dragonfly relocated to Richmond. At the same time Oakland was licensing MMJ outlets, OCLA was gathering signatures to put the Oakland Cannabis Regulation and Revenue Ordinance on the ballot. In Nov. 2004 with 65.2% of the vote, Measure Z became law making private sales, cultivation, and possession of cannabis the lowest police priority and mandating the taxing and regulating of cannabis for adults as soon as possible under state law. 2005 saw the opening of Measure Z clubs and the closing of Compassionate Caregivers and OCHC for building code violations. The Oaksterdam News (Oaksterdamnews.com) began publishing from 376 15th and the Oaksterdam Gift Shop opened at 405 15th Street. Last summer the OCBC became the official MMJ ID card issuer in Alameda County and two new MMJ clubs have opened recently (see story on page 3).  Street Fair - Amy Doktor helps spread the word: Oaksterdam. Oaksterdam News photo by Jaime Galindo Meanwhile the affectionate nickname Oaksterdam — or Odam for short — has taken on a life of its own and affords the area a well-deserved international celebrity as a cannabis friendly zone. Major news media including AP reports now use the term that has seeped out into the cannabis culture, along with 420 and kind bud. Now, with a decade of community acceptance behind it and Measure Z implementation lying ahead, the Oaksterdam District finds itself again on the threshold of a new era. |
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