Just when we thought we’d closed the book, a new chapter has been unveiled in the Jean Quan pot shop saga.
San Francisco is now being sued over its October decision to deny the Apothecarium a permit for a new Sunset district location. The plaintiffs are alleging cronyism and corruption because a rival of theirs, Barbary Coast Collective, was approved for a permit shortly after their bid was rejected.
"A nearly identical application goes before them, based on the same arguments, and it sails through. You have to ask why the decisions are so different,” said Apothecarium spokesman Elliot Dobris.
The plaintiffs think they know what was behind the markedly different outcomes. They claim supervisors approved the Barbary Coast Collective’s permit because of campaign donations they received from its owner David Ho.
“Follow the money,” Dobris added.
In fact, the plaintiffs claim half of all cannabis industry donations made to the Board of Supervisors are connected to Ho’s Barbary Coast dispensary.
At least one supervisor, Hillary Ronen, has flatly denied the charges against the Board. She says the Apothecarium simply didn’t do enough outreach in the district where the dispensary would have been located.
Read more about the lawsuit at SF Weekly and the Bay Area Reporter.
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