Northern California HopeNet

Helping Patients Find Hope Through the Compassionate Use Act

Established by Catherine and Steve Smith in 1999 as a Doctors Referral Clinic and converted into a Medical Cannabis Dispensary (MCD) in 2002 to serve the needs of patients around the Bay Area, HopeNet has led the way in cannabis legislation, patient services, and neighborhood outreach.

HopeNet became politically active to better serve our patients and help other MCDs and community resource centers serving the medical community by crafting fair legislation which looks out for the best interest of all.

San Francisco was one of the first cities to adopt formal regulations and came to HopeNet for guidance in crafting guidelines for the rest of the MCDs of the city.  Steve and Cathy Smith worked closely with the Board of Supervisors during 2004 in writing the legislation for these regulations, eventually including other city departments in the process. This included working groups, one-on-one meetings, and town hall discussions with various aspects of city government; from the Police Department, to the Fire Department, Planning Department, Department of Building and Inspection, District Attorneys Office, Mayors Office for Disabilities, San Francisco Board of Supervisors, and the Health Department which oversees the MCD program.

The regulations became official in 2005, and HopeNet was the first MCD to go through the newly crafted permitting process; again working hand in hand with the Health Department and other assorted San Francisco city departments in hashing out the practical difficulties of implementing the permitting process.

HopeNet still works closely with the Police Department and District Attorneys Office through working groups and aiding officers and command staff with staying current with cannabis legislation.  We also continue to work with the San Francisco Fire Department on cultivation guidelines to help the city continue to be a safe place for both growers and residents to live and work.

Phone: (415) 863-4399

Email: info@hopenetcompassion.org