Will Vapor Room go up in fumes? Medical cannabis dispensary looks for new Lower Haight home (October, 2006)

Nicole Strand is no “drug dealer.”

“It kills my heart when someone calls me that,” says Strand, co-facilitator of the Vapor Room medical cannabis dispensary (MCD). She recounts how family members struggled with addiction when she was a child, and states sternly that it is “irresponsible to equate what we do at the Vapor Room with crack and drugs that ruin lives.”

Although the Vapor Room is the most civic-minded MCD in the Lower Haight—contributing more to the merchants association, neighborhood cleanup days and local charities than do many traditional Lower Haight businesses—it has become the target of some residents of Haight Street’s 600-block who want it gone and smell blood. The Vapor Room is vulnerable, as the zoning of its space does not allow for an MCD under city law, and has until July 2007 to relocate its facility from 609A Haight Street (near Steiner).

The future is uncertain for many other clubs across the city, as well, for the legislation passed to regulate and protect MCDs does not guarantee that clubs meeting all requirements will obtain a permit. Even existing MCDs that have another nine months to fill out all their paperwork must still pass through two public hearings before the Planning and Public Health Commissions, respectively, before earning a permit to operate––giving opponents ample opportunity to gum up the works.

Some property owners say the Vapor Room attracts the wrong crowd; other landlords say the wrong crowd is the crack dealers, who have diminished in number over the last 10 years, and that Vapor Room security actually helps protect their property values.

In September, The Beat sat down with Strand and her community outreach representative Stephanie Tucker at Cafe International.

The Beat: How would you characterize the Vapor Room’s relationship with the Lower Haight?

Nicole Strand: There has been a lot of press about controversy, but we have 287 letters of support from residents in the blocks surrounding the Vapor Room. We even have 25 letters of support from the 600-block of Haight Street.

We know that community outreach is necessary if we want to exist, and we have a community hotline for complaints and questions: 415-520-2060 and goodneighbors@vaporroom.com.

While complaints from a handful of neighbors on lowerhaight.org are common, Strand said that as of this interview she had received no calls on the hotline.

Stephanie Tucker: The neighbors who have the biggest problem with us moved here long after we were already open.

The Beat: What about double-parking and complaints of blocked driveways?

ST: Some drivers will double park, but we have zero tolerance for illegal parking or blocking driveways. We’ve probably lost 20 patients due to insufficient parking, and we’ve 86’ed others who break the rules.

The Beat: What about loitering complaints?

NS: A handful of people look at our security guards and stereotype them as thugs because of their skin color. But we are proud to have hired from within our community, and I’ve had many residents and property owners tell me they feel safer knowing we have eyes on the street all day.

To avoid confusion in the future, Strand said she is outfitting her staff with Vapor Room jackets.

The Beat: How has the neighborhood changed since you moved in?

NS: It used to be pretty bad. There were tweakers living in storefronts selling stolen goods, and there was lots and lots of crack and heroin. When we moved in, we had to remove 200 needles from our space.

The Beat: The Green Cross MCD was denied a permit to open in Fisherman’s Wharf, even though its proposed location was in the MCD-eligible “Green Zone” as defined by city code. Are you anxious about finding a new location in the Lower Haight and participating in a public hearing to get a permit?

NS: Fisherman’s Wharf has a different set of neighbors, and of course lots of tourism. The Green Cross is appealing their case, but either way we feel confident that we have the support of residents in our neighborhood.

The Beat: How did you get your start and become the owner of an MCD?

NS: Well, I’m not the owner. I’m a co-facilitator of our cooperative. One thing most people don’t know about MCDs is that under city law they have to be collectives or cooperatives. Contrary to popular belief, we don’t make a lot of money. We get modest salaries, and the rest goes back into the cooperative. Not to mention the huge risk facilitators are taking; we’re not federally protected.

Strand declined to divulge too many details on her history within the California medical cannabis movement, but did acknowledge that she has built a great deal of trust with many patients, who have followed her from dispensaries that existed before SF regulations.

The Beat: Why is the medical cannabis movement important to you?

NS: One way to answer this question is to look at who our patients are. They are housewives, doctors, lawyers, veterans who benefit from the established medical value of cannabis. Besides being a painkiller and a treatment for nausea that allows many sick people to eat, cannabis is excellent for type II diabetes, and is being studied for treating MS in Canada right now. People need to remember why Prop. 215 was approved.

ST: The Vapor Room also acts as a support group for groups of people isolated and marginalized by society; those with physical and mental disabilities. There is a psychological benefit for these people who are able to use an MCD as a therapeutically social space. Just as the Vapor Room helps foster a sense of community in the Lower Haight, we practice a community model inside our club, as well.

The Beat: The results of a recent survey in a nearby neighborhood showed that over half of respondents approved the outright legalization of marijuana, with nearly 90 percent in favor of medical cannabis. However, 51 percent of respondents felt MCDs were bad for their neighborhood. How do you respond to that?

ST: There are a lot of valid questions out there, and as uncomfortable as it is for some people to talk about it, it has to be talked about. This is a new system, and we want the same things neighbors want, too. We need to hear what they say so we can fine-tune the system and patiently oversee the implementation of MCD legislation.

We helped define the city standards, and we’ve had to jump through a lot of hoops. We have a huge responsibility; everything we’re doing sets precedent for future, so we work hard to stay on top of everything, and ask that we all keep our minds open while we make it right. We need our community’s continued support.