Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Begin Implementing "Pop-Up" Locations

Popular Restaurant Trend Inspires Retailers to Sell Product at Temporary "Streetcorner Shops."

"I don't know why we didn't think of this before."

CORNER OF 30TH AND IMPERIAL, JUST AROUND MIDNIGHT - Marshall Samuelson had a problem. The Federal Government had just served him a notice letting him know that his state-licensed medical marijuana dispensary was in violation of Federal law, and that he need to join the 62% of dispensaries that had already shut down, "and pronto," if he wanted to avoid jail time.

"And that wasn't all," marvels Samuelson. "They also wanted me to turn over all my product, without any expectation of reimbursement. Does that sound like justice to you? But it's not like the courts were going to be any help - 'Your Honor, can I please keep my weed?' Whatevs. I was in a tight spot."

That's when Samuelson heard about MedMarList, a Craigslist-style online directory that allowed sellers and users to communicate about temporary storefronts set up at various places around the city. "The whole thing is modeled after the pop-up restaurant trend," explained Samuelson. "You know, where a chef sets up shop at a certain spot for a little while, then tears down the operation and moves on. It keeps things flexible, and it also allows the seller to respond quickly to the customer's needs. In many cases, a provider can be on a consumer's street corner within 10 minutes. And in our case, it allows us to close up and move on in a hurry should the wrong element come calling."

Asked whether the "wrong element" indicated recreational marijuana users seeking to abuse the medical marijuana system or Federal authorities seeking to abuse medical marijuana distributors, Samuelson just smiled. "Now why would I answer a silly question like that?" he asked.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

Tigers In Cairo owes its existence to Craigslist

But it owes its name to a Cure tune and a tattoo

Popular Restaurant Trend Inspires Retailers to Sell Product at Temporary "Streetcorner Shops."

"I don't know why we didn't think of this before."

CORNER OF 30TH AND IMPERIAL, JUST AROUND MIDNIGHT - Marshall Samuelson had a problem. The Federal Government had just served him a notice letting him know that his state-licensed medical marijuana dispensary was in violation of Federal law, and that he need to join the 62% of dispensaries that had already shut down, "and pronto," if he wanted to avoid jail time.

"And that wasn't all," marvels Samuelson. "They also wanted me to turn over all my product, without any expectation of reimbursement. Does that sound like justice to you? But it's not like the courts were going to be any help - 'Your Honor, can I please keep my weed?' Whatevs. I was in a tight spot."

That's when Samuelson heard about MedMarList, a Craigslist-style online directory that allowed sellers and users to communicate about temporary storefronts set up at various places around the city. "The whole thing is modeled after the pop-up restaurant trend," explained Samuelson. "You know, where a chef sets up shop at a certain spot for a little while, then tears down the operation and moves on. It keeps things flexible, and it also allows the seller to respond quickly to the customer's needs. In many cases, a provider can be on a consumer's street corner within 10 minutes. And in our case, it allows us to close up and move on in a hurry should the wrong element come calling."

Asked whether the "wrong element" indicated recreational marijuana users seeking to abuse the medical marijuana system or Federal authorities seeking to abuse medical marijuana distributors, Samuelson just smiled. "Now why would I answer a silly question like that?" he asked.

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Reader publisher makes in-kind advertising contribution to medical marijuana campaign

Next Article

Store at your own risk, bud

City says pot shops are on their own when it comes to storing product
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader