Move Over Jesus, Pot Saves

ESPECIALLY ON BERKELEY’S TELEGRAPH AVENUE

amoeba
Amoeba, already trippy, could be a pot shop. Photo by Ted Friedman.

Move over Jesus, pot saves. Especially on Berkeley Telegraph
Avenues’ troubled 4th block. This would not be the first time pot has saved.

Vietnamese high-grade weed solaced U.S.Vietnam War grunts.
Online sources claim the marijuana industry could bail out the treasury.
Even a small dispensary might, reportedly, gross 36 million.

Can pot save a troubled commercial hub at Telegraph/Haste?

Pot might get a shot (to save Teley) if Amoeba, an independent
Telegraph Ave. music/video store, succeeds with its application
to become a marijuana dispensary.

amoeba2
Site of Berkeley’s latest pot shop, if approved.
Bob Marley, pictured ,approves Photo by Ted Friedman.

The proceeds from a dispensary could either boost the block or not.
The city’s usual annual cut of such profits is 1.5 million, per club.

The three corners at TeleHaste have not contributed taxes for
many years and one corner is in arrears.

This is an opportunity any superhero would die for and the marijuana
industry may be that superhero. But whether there would be a neighborhood
trickle-down from the millions in pot profits is unknown.

Less than three blocks away from Amoeba, a 15 year-old dispensary has had
little positive impact on its neighbor businesses. Pot patrons score and scram.

Perhaps Amoeba pot patrons might find a few of the neighborhood businesses
worth shopping.

When Amoeba’s Haight-Ashbury store hosted a pot prescription spot, the
store’s traffic rose. This is sure to be a factor at Berkeley’s Amoeba.

Pot shoppers might also visit Amoeba’s across-the-street competitor,
The Mad Monk, opening in months, Amoeba itself, Piology, Little Gem
Belgian Waffles, or perhaps the Caffe Mediterraneum, where stoner/patients
might meet up with other heads—Medheads.

As Mad Monk threatens Amoeba’s bottom line, Amoeba could be holding
a 36 million dollar trump card.

The 36 million would just be icing on the victory cake.

The City of Berkeley Medical Marijuana Commission will meet at
Amoeba Nov. 12/7p, for a hearing on Amoeba’s application.


More photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/berkboy/

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