CELEBRITIES
 Dennis Peron founder of the SF Cannabis Buyers' Club Marijuana
prohibition is alive and nasty in the United States. Politicians rant about lack
of prison space for murderers and rapists while laws they've instituted imprison
patients and care givers for five years, ten years, and longer.But the Cannabis Buyers' Club, with a membership of almost five thousand, operates openly in San Francisco. Local law enforcement and the federal Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) know where the club is. They know that hundreds of people buy and consume marijuana there on an almost daily basis, but the club operates without interference. "Proposition 'P' is the foundation of the Cannabis Buyers' Club," said Dennis Peron, the club's founder. Peron wrote Proposition P, and in 1991 San Francisco voters passed it by eighty percent. As a result, San Francisco law enforcement agencies assign the lowest possible priority to enforcing laws against people who use, grow, or provide medical marijuana. The feds, however, still want to put Peron and his friends away. In April of this year the DEA put San Francisco's resolve to the test."The feds came to bust us," said Peron."The DEA read an article about us and got their panties in a wad. They brought twenty agents in from around the country. They stood outside that door videotaping and followed members home - including one member who was taking marijuana to dying friends." The club notified City Hall and rallied club members to action. According to Peron, five hundred club members showed up in front of the Federal Building and chanted: Hey hey DEA, pack your guns and go away, the Cannabis Club is here to stay Racist, sexist, DEA, the Cannabis Club is here to stay. The city turned down the feds'request for thirty reinforcements, so the DEA did, indeed, "go away." As Peron recounted the powerful experience, he reveled in the sense of freedom that came out of it. "The locals are not going to bust us, the feds are not going to bust us. In other words we're not gonna get busted." AT THE CLUB ON A TUESDAY IN JULY Then his voice hushed with compassion and resolve as he considered that, still, it could happen. "Essentially, if they did bust us, what have they got? Five thousand AIDS and cancer patients in the winter of their lives. I would not give this up easily. A lot of these people don't have anything left to lose-they would not give this up easily." When I arrived it was almost noon, the club had been open about forty minutes. A few men were standing on the sidewalk as two more men in the doorway checked membership cards and allowed people inside. (Yes, men outnumbered women by far.) Once through the door and into the stairwell, I got a preview of things to come. I enjoyed the aroma of herbaceous smoke, the sound of lively conversation, and faces smiling from photos on the wall as I climbed toward two men stationed at the top of the stairs. Later, I learned that there are six guards: these two, for security and physical assistance; two on the street, to watch out for members' safety as they leave the club (which probably accounts for those who appeared to be loitering); and two at the door. These, and all other paid staff, are members of the club. This means that each has glaucoma, AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, or another condition for which marijuana is known to provide relief. The fact that each staff member uses marijuana as medicine may partially account for the exceptionally helpful, friendly, and understanding staff. Much of the for-profit and not-for-profit world could benefit from lessons if the club staff had time to offer them. When Dennis Peron invited me, he told me that I would love the club. He was right. The Cannabis Buyers' Club is a happening place! Every seat was taken. Dozens of members sat in groups around tiny, round tables like those found in cocktail lounges and coffee houses. The walls and ceiling are nearly covered with articles of art and whimsy that Peron has collected on his travels around the world. The result is multi-cultural and artsy: masks, fans, marionettes, mobiles, and more. The club feels like a fusion of coffeehouse, salon, wine bar, and the type of family gathering many of us only wish we could experience. New members were busy learning the ropes (no pun intended). Staff explained the difference between smoking and eating marijuana and helped each new member determine what avenue was best for him. Some members have only enough energy to sit quietly, but many smoked or ate part of their cannabis prescription while enjoying time with friends. Members can choose among more than one grade of marijuana, baked goods at a range of potencies, and Merry Pills: high-grade THC and olive oil in a capsule. Staff place the herb or herb products into small plastic bags and affix self-adhesive prescription labels to the outside before handing them to members. I introduced myself to a man standing near me and asked if he had been coming to the club long. (We chuckled at the cliche pick-up line this brought to mind.) "They call me Alex," he said, and told me he had gained ten pounds in the three weeks since he had become a member. I tried to imagine Alex ten pounds lighter and couldn't, he didn't have it to spare. He added, "I'm just forty, and I've outlived most of my friends." "It started out about marijuana," said Peron after the club closed for the day, "but it really ended up being about Love, friendship, justice, and not being alone. These people are very sick and they feel scared, and, you know, the first thing a sick person does is withdraw, and that's the last thing a sick person should do. "We have over four hundred senior citizens that come here for arthritis, glaucoma, pain, etc. We have an old woman trapped in her wheel chair, day in and day out. Marijuana makes her feel a little bit better. I don't require a letter of diagnosis for people sixty-five or older-things wear out-or for people who are blind or deaf, as they say it helps their other senses. "First they tell us that marijuana has no medicinal value, then they take one component of marijuana, [synthesize it] and allow it to be marketed as medicine' " said Dennis. He went on to say that the plant in its natural state is complete and far more helpful, and if it weren't illegal then patients and care givers could grow their own or buy it for very little. The synthetic pills cost eight dollars each, and many of the patients that need THC must combat nausea to avoid wasting away, and so can't keep a pill down. The club buys most of its cannabis from hundreds of small growers. Some is donated, but most is bought at a discount and marked up ten percent to cover the rent and pay staff. When Peron was asked how growers arrange to sell to the club, he said, "They can call me on the phone, I'm in the book." As I left, I took another look at the photos in the stairwell, now images of flesh and blood people I had shared conversations with. A laugh, a painful memory, today's reality. Jason's face was prominent, because his photo was a close-up, because his smile is radiant and his hair is red. He treats his severe arthritis with marijuana. His mother told him about the club in February of '94 after he was stabbed trying to buy his medicine on the street. Now he gets the herb that helps him and enjoys helping others, without becoming collateral damage in the War on Drugs. POSTSCRIPT No, I didn't get high being around all that smoke for a few hours, but I did receive an unexpected gift. Normally, the stairs and sidewalks I navigated would have worsened the knee pain that had been making me wince and cuss for about three weeks. When I awoke the next morning my knees were almost pain-free. Thank you, Cannabis Buyers' Club!
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