Oaksterdam
Encyclopedia
Oaksterdam is a cultural district
on the north end of downtown Oakland, California
, where medical cannabis
in a variety of competitively priced smokeable and edible preparations is available for purchase in multiple cafe
s, club
s, and patient dispensaries. Oaksterdam is located on the north end of downtown Oakland, between downtown proper, the Lakeside
, and the financial district. It is roughly bordered by 14th Street on the southwest, Harrison Street on the southeast, 19th Street on the northeast, and Telegraph Avenue
on the northwest. The name is a portmanteau of "Oakland" and "Amsterdam
".
Since 2005, cannabis has been available to patients with patient identification and physician recommendation at a busy dispensary in the neighborhood, one of Oakland's four officially licensed dispensaries under the current municipal ordinance. According to Proposition 215
, a statewide voter initiative which amended the California Health and Safety Code
, marijuana used for medical purposes is legal to possess, cultivate and donate for. Dispensaries require a doctor's note in order to obtain medical cannabis, which is legal under California Law but illegal under the federal Controlled Substances Act
.
, the Dutch
city that is famously tolerant towards cannabis use. The term was coined by Jim McClelland, an AIDS patient who was a founding member of the Oakland Cannabis Buyers Club and the Berkeley Patients Group after prompting by Andrew Glazier, a fellow activist, that the neighborhood needed a name..
The history of Oaksterdam is exciting and started with Oakland Buyers Cooperative Distributing to Prop 215 patients with acts of courage mixed with legal wrangling they stayed open until the FEDS became an issue.After the federal authorities ordered the Oakland Cannabis Buyers Cooperative (OCBC) to shut down a few brave members like the late Jim McClelland and late Tim Sidwell of OCBC went around the corner and opened up the ZOO.The Zoo was a well stocked dispensary with deals that had clones as well as advice on how to cultivate.Soon after that a proliferation of clubs opened with colorful names like The Bulldog,Compassionate Caregivers,The Lemon Drop,Oakland Patients Group and 420 Cafe.This was the Wild Wild West Days of Medical cannabis.Proposition 215 was vague and Rogue DAs did what they felt was more politically rewarding and that wasn't always in the patients interest.Dan Lundgren went on a political warpath after Prop 215 was passed and San Francisco's safe source of medical cannabis was shut down when Dennis Peron was arrested.The Oakland City Council made a few proclamations then promptly made a few patients official medical cannabis officers like Jeff Jones and Ed Rosenthal as well as approve the distribution of medical cannabis as per Proposition 215.The Oakland Politicians were pro cannabis before Prop 215 and allowed a couple groups to distribute.The Federal authorities however have continued to harass even though the Attorney General Eric Holder has stated publicly that the prosecution of medical cannabis is the feds last priority.
and the Financial District. It is roughly bordered by 14th Street on the southwest, Harrison Street on the southeast, 19th Street on the northeast, and Telegraph Ave on the northwest. It is characterized by mixed-use office and residential buildings with unique historic architecture that is older than some of the more modern skyscrapers south of 14th Street, and an abundance of ground floor retail shop spaces, restaurants and cafes.
A Julia Morgan-designed building is located at the northwest corner of 15th and Webster Streets, which was the original location of the Oakland YWCA. The neighborhood also features the Cathedral Building
, an ornate, historic Flatiron Building
at Latham Square at the intersection of Broadway and Telegraph.
at 15th and Franklin, a small business school catering mainly to international students, and Oaksterdam University
on 19th Street, a business college which prepares students for medical cannabis work.
station is located beneath Oaksterdam on Broadway between 17th and 20th Streets. The station has entrances on Broadway and on a pedestrian plaza
that opens onto Telegraph Avenue. AC Transit
also recently opened the Uptown
regional transit center nearby on Thomas L. Berkley Way (20th Street), which features multiple bus shelters with seating, NextBus
arrival prediction signs and Rapid Bus
service.
As of October 0f 2011 the DEA has declared war on medical cannabis again.
Many letters have been sent to the property owners of dispensaries threatening arrest and forfeiture of property if they do not cease and desist.Be assured the threats will be taken seriously but until the DEA raids them these brave advocates and heroes will not budge.
These are non profit dispensaries that employ many citizens in this recession. What does the DEA want more prosecutions and unemployment ?
Oakland politicians did a fine job of assuring the non profit status after Jerry Brown was Mayor.
This is clearly politically motivated.
Call the DEA OFF Melinda Haag.
Call the DEA OFF Eric Holder.
Call the DEA OFF Obama.
District
Districts are a type of administrative division, in some countries managed by a local government. They vary greatly in size, spanning entire regions or counties, several municipalities, or subdivisions of municipalities.-Austria:...
on the north end of downtown Oakland, California
Downtown Oakland
Downtown Oakland is the central business district of Oakland, California; roughly bounded by 6th Street or the Oakland Estuary on the southwest, Interstate 980 on the northwest, Grand Avenue on the northeast, and Lake Merritt on the east....
, where medical cannabis
Medical cannabis
Medical cannabis refers to the use of parts of the herb cannabis as a physician-recommended form of medicine or herbal therapy, or to synthetic forms of specific cannabinoids such as THC as a physician-recommended form of medicine...
in a variety of competitively priced smokeable and edible preparations is available for purchase in multiple cafe
Café
A café , also spelled cafe, in most countries refers to an establishment which focuses on serving coffee, like an American coffeehouse. In the United States, it may refer to an informal restaurant, offering a range of hot meals and made-to-order sandwiches...
s, club
Club
A club is an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal. A service club, for example, exists for voluntary or charitable activities; there are clubs devoted to hobbies and sports, social activities clubs, political and religious clubs, and so forth.- History...
s, and patient dispensaries. Oaksterdam is located on the north end of downtown Oakland, between downtown proper, the Lakeside
Lakeside Apartments District, Oakland, California
The Lakeside Apartments District neighborhood, also known as The Gold Coast, and simply as The Lakeside, is one of Oakland, California's historic residential neighborhoods between its Downtown district and Lake Merritt...
, and the financial district. It is roughly bordered by 14th Street on the southwest, Harrison Street on the southeast, 19th Street on the northeast, and Telegraph Avenue
Telegraph Avenue
Telegraph Avenue is a street that begins, at its southernmost point, in the midst of the historic downtown district of Oakland, California, USA, and ends, at its northernmost point, at the southern edge of the University of California campus in Berkeley, California...
on the northwest. The name is a portmanteau of "Oakland" and "Amsterdam
Cannabis coffee shop
Coffeeshops are establishments in the Netherlands where the sale of cannabis for personal consumption by the public is tolerated by the local authorities ....
".
Since 2005, cannabis has been available to patients with patient identification and physician recommendation at a busy dispensary in the neighborhood, one of Oakland's four officially licensed dispensaries under the current municipal ordinance. According to Proposition 215
California Proposition 215 (1996)
Proposition 215, or the Compassionate Use Act of 1996, is a California law concerning the use of medical cannabis. It was enacted, on November 5, 1996, by means of the initiative process, and passed with 5,382,915 votes in favor and 4,301,960 against.The proposition was a state-wide voter...
, a statewide voter initiative which amended the California Health and Safety Code
California Health and Safety Code
California Law consists of 29 codes, covering various subject areas, the State Constitution and Statutes. The California Health and Safety Code is the code covering the subject areas of health and safety.-External links:...
, marijuana used for medical purposes is legal to possess, cultivate and donate for. Dispensaries require a doctor's note in order to obtain medical cannabis, which is legal under California Law but illegal under the federal Controlled Substances Act
Controlled Substances Act
The Controlled Substances Act was enacted into law by the Congress of the United States as Title II of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970. The CSA is the federal U.S. drug policy under which the manufacture, importation, possession, use and distribution of certain...
.
History
The name Oaksterdam is a combination of Oakland and AmsterdamAmsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
city that is famously tolerant towards cannabis use. The term was coined by Jim McClelland, an AIDS patient who was a founding member of the Oakland Cannabis Buyers Club and the Berkeley Patients Group after prompting by Andrew Glazier, a fellow activist, that the neighborhood needed a name..
The history of Oaksterdam is exciting and started with Oakland Buyers Cooperative Distributing to Prop 215 patients with acts of courage mixed with legal wrangling they stayed open until the FEDS became an issue.After the federal authorities ordered the Oakland Cannabis Buyers Cooperative (OCBC) to shut down a few brave members like the late Jim McClelland and late Tim Sidwell of OCBC went around the corner and opened up the ZOO.The Zoo was a well stocked dispensary with deals that had clones as well as advice on how to cultivate.Soon after that a proliferation of clubs opened with colorful names like The Bulldog,Compassionate Caregivers,The Lemon Drop,Oakland Patients Group and 420 Cafe.This was the Wild Wild West Days of Medical cannabis.Proposition 215 was vague and Rogue DAs did what they felt was more politically rewarding and that wasn't always in the patients interest.Dan Lundgren went on a political warpath after Prop 215 was passed and San Francisco's safe source of medical cannabis was shut down when Dennis Peron was arrested.The Oakland City Council made a few proclamations then promptly made a few patients official medical cannabis officers like Jeff Jones and Ed Rosenthal as well as approve the distribution of medical cannabis as per Proposition 215.The Oakland Politicians were pro cannabis before Prop 215 and allowed a couple groups to distribute.The Federal authorities however have continued to harass even though the Attorney General Eric Holder has stated publicly that the prosecution of medical cannabis is the feds last priority.
Location and character
Oaksterdam is located on the north end of downtown Oakland, between downtown proper, the LakesideLakeside Apartments District, Oakland, California
The Lakeside Apartments District neighborhood, also known as The Gold Coast, and simply as The Lakeside, is one of Oakland, California's historic residential neighborhoods between its Downtown district and Lake Merritt...
and the Financial District. It is roughly bordered by 14th Street on the southwest, Harrison Street on the southeast, 19th Street on the northeast, and Telegraph Ave on the northwest. It is characterized by mixed-use office and residential buildings with unique historic architecture that is older than some of the more modern skyscrapers south of 14th Street, and an abundance of ground floor retail shop spaces, restaurants and cafes.
A Julia Morgan-designed building is located at the northwest corner of 15th and Webster Streets, which was the original location of the Oakland YWCA. The neighborhood also features the Cathedral Building
Cathedral Building
Located in Oakland, California, the Cathedral Building, originally named the Federal Realty Building, was the first Gothic Revival style skyscraper west of the Mississippi River. It is also called the "Wedding Cake" for its appearance, which resembles New York's Flatiron Building...
, an ornate, historic Flatiron Building
Flatiron Building
The Flatiron Building, or Fuller Building, as it was originally called, is located at 175 Fifth Avenue in the borough of Manhattan, New York City and is considered to be a groundbreaking skyscraper. Upon completion in 1902 it was one of the tallest buildings in the city and the only skyscraper...
at Latham Square at the intersection of Broadway and Telegraph.
Educational institutions
The district features at least two institutions of higher learning, Lincoln UniversityLincoln University (California)
Lincoln University is a private, nonprofit, nonsectarian university based in Oakland, California. The university is located near the 12th Street BART station in downtown Oakland. It enrolls about 400 students in undergraduate and graduate level programs in business administration, as well an...
at 15th and Franklin, a small business school catering mainly to international students, and Oaksterdam University
Oaksterdam University
Oaksterdam University is a non-accredited for-profit educational facility and "political institution" founded in November 2007 by medical marijuana activist Richard Lee to offer training for the cannabis industry, with a mission to "legitimize the business and work to change the law to make...
on 19th Street, a business college which prepares students for medical cannabis work.
Mass transit
The 19th Street BART metrorailMetrorail
Metrorail may refer to:* Metrorail , a commuter rail system operator in South Africa** Metrorail Eastern Cape, commuter rail lines serving Port Elizabeth and East London...
station is located beneath Oaksterdam on Broadway between 17th and 20th Streets. The station has entrances on Broadway and on a pedestrian plaza
Plaza
Plaza is a Spanish word related to "field" which describes an open urban public space, such as a city square. All through Spanish America, the plaza mayor of each center of administration held three closely related institutions: the cathedral, the cabildo or administrative center, which might be...
that opens onto Telegraph Avenue. AC Transit
AC Transit
AC Transit is an Oakland-based regional public transit agency serving the western half of Alameda County and parts of western Contra Costa County in the western, Bay-side area of the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area...
also recently opened the Uptown
Uptown Oakland
Uptown is a neighborhood in Downtown Oakland, California, located just north of the center of downtown. Its boundaries are ill-defined, but most definitions include the area bounded by Grand Avenue at the north, Telegraph Avenue on the west, City Center plaza on the south, and Harrison Street on...
regional transit center nearby on Thomas L. Berkley Way (20th Street), which features multiple bus shelters with seating, NextBus
NextBus
NextBus is a vehicle tracking system which uses global positioning satellite information to predict when the next bus will arrive at any given bus stop, thereby eliminating wait times and any need for schedules for all transit riders...
arrival prediction signs and Rapid Bus
Rapid
A rapid is a section of a river where the river bed has a relatively steep gradient causing an increase in water velocity and turbulence. A rapid is a hydrological feature between a run and a cascade. A rapid is characterised by the river becoming shallower and having some rocks exposed above the...
service.
Bicycle rental
A bicycle rental service has opened in the neighborhood on 15th Street, serving one of the only bicycle rental stores in the area. The bike shop incorporates a glass-blowing school.Pedicab service
Recently a pedi-cab service (Oaksterkabs) was opened, staffed by a single cycle rickshaw. Now dubbed "The Cannabis Cruiser", the pedicab offers its services around the downtown area to students of Oaksterdam University, Oaksterdam employees and to pedestrians in general.Neighborhood retail
The district is home to a number of coffee shops, a tea shop and hydroponic supply store, cafes, restaurants open into the evenings, a gift shop, two musical instrument stores and specialty stores. These shops and services also are attractive to cannabis tourists and enjoy a superior central location next to the 19th Street BART station and AC Transit connections.Medical cannabis dispensation
Since legislative changes passed by the Oakland City Council in 2005, there is no longer a proliferation of cannabis dispensaries in the neighborhood as was the case for several years previously. Most of these dispensaries had the chance to obtain non-profit status; some chose to not become non-profit and were no longer permitted to dispense cannabis. Under current legislation, there are four officially permitted dispensaries in the City of Oakland. One of the four permits is held by a dispensary cafe in the neighborhood.As of October 0f 2011 the DEA has declared war on medical cannabis again.
Many letters have been sent to the property owners of dispensaries threatening arrest and forfeiture of property if they do not cease and desist.Be assured the threats will be taken seriously but until the DEA raids them these brave advocates and heroes will not budge.
These are non profit dispensaries that employ many citizens in this recession. What does the DEA want more prosecutions and unemployment ?
Oakland politicians did a fine job of assuring the non profit status after Jerry Brown was Mayor.
This is clearly politically motivated.
Call the DEA OFF Melinda Haag.
Call the DEA OFF Eric Holder.
Call the DEA OFF Obama.
Measure Z clubs
Measure Z clubs are businesses that sell cannabis to people over the age of 18. One private club in Oaksterdam sells cannabis and food containing cannabis to adults who do not hold valid physician recommendations for medical marijuana, which are needed to obtain county-issued patient identification cards in California. One such club is named after Oakland's Measure Z, a city ballot initiative which makes the private sales, cultivation, and possession of cannabis the lowest police priority and mandates that the City of Oakland tax and regulate cannabis as soon as possible under state law.Adjacent Oakland neighborhoods and attractions
- Adams Point
- ChinatownChinatown, Oakland, CaliforniaThe Chinatown neighborhood in Oakland, California, is a pan-Asian neighborhood which reflects Oakland's diverse Asian American community. It is frequently referred to as "Oakland Chinatown" in order to distinguish it from nearby San Francisco's Chinatown...
- Downtown OaklandDowntown OaklandDowntown Oakland is the central business district of Oakland, California; roughly bounded by 6th Street or the Oakland Estuary on the southwest, Interstate 980 on the northwest, Grand Avenue on the northeast, and Lake Merritt on the east....
- Jack London SquareJack London SquareJack London Square is a popular tourist attraction on the waterfront of Oakland, California. Named after the author Jack London and owned by the Port of Oakland, it is the home of stores, restaurants, hotels, an Amtrak station, a ferry dock, the historic Saloon, the cabin Jack London lived in the...
- Lake MerrittLake MerrittLake Merritt is a large tidal lagoon that lies just east of downtown Oakland, California. It is surrounded by parkland and city neighborhoods. A popular 3.1 mile walking and jogging path runs along its perimeter...
- Lakeside Apartments DistrictLakeside Apartments District, Oakland, CaliforniaThe Lakeside Apartments District neighborhood, also known as The Gold Coast, and simply as The Lakeside, is one of Oakland, California's historic residential neighborhoods between its Downtown district and Lake Merritt...
- Oakland City CenterOakland City CenterOakland City Center is an office and shopping and hotel complex in Downtown Oakland, California. The complex is the product of a redevelopment project begun in the late 1950s. It covers twelve city blocks between Broadway on the east, Martin Luther King Jr. Way...
- Old OaklandOld OaklandOld Oakland, formally known as the Old Oakland Historic District, is a historic district in downtown Oakland, California. The area is located on the northwest side of Broadway, between the City Center complex and the Jack London Square district, and across Broadway from Chinatown.The Old Oakland...
- Uptown OaklandUptown OaklandUptown is a neighborhood in Downtown Oakland, California, located just north of the center of downtown. Its boundaries are ill-defined, but most definitions include the area bounded by Grand Avenue at the north, Telegraph Avenue on the west, City Center plaza on the south, and Harrison Street on...
External links
- Oaksterdam for online and cannabis news from Oaksterdam
- Oaksterdaminfo.com Oaksterdam news, community calendar, history
- OaksterdamUniversity.com Official site of Oaksterdam University