Harborside is cultivating a new crop of female leaders

By Samantha Campos 

Women today make up more than half of this country's work force. And yet, a very small percentage of us are employed within the upper echelon of corporate leadership.

The International Cannabis 420 holiday has typically been celebrated with exuberant, copious and joyous public consumption of cannabis. Every year, local TV stations happily beam images of stoner stereotype into the living rooms of America: six-foot-long joints, colorful crowds encased in copious clouds of cannabis smoke, semi-coherent interviews with the weirdest characters reporters can find.

Deep Green Festival, April 20. Photo by Peter Booth Lee.

Now, don't get me wrong - I like a parade at least as much as the next guy or girl, and I don't think there is anything wrong with appropriate and measured acts of civil disobedience. But I do think there is a whole lot more to the cannabis plant than just getting stoned. I fell in love with the cannabis plant because it brings so many different gifts to my life: wellness and comfort, inspiration and creativity, appetite and libido; textiles and cosmetics and medicine and nutritious food. I fell in love with the cannabis plant for its natural qualities: the longest, strongest natural fiber on the planet; requires no pesticides; fixes nitrogen in soil; combats erosion. I fell in love with the cannabis plant for its potential: to sustainably provide food, fuel, fiber and medicine; to provide a safe and natural alternative to pharmaceuticals and surgery; to reduce dependency and damage from other more dangerous substances like alcohol and tobacco; to give senior citizens better quality of life and longevity. 

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Originally from Pennsylvania, Patricia Alvarez grew up in heavy dairy country and smoked cigarettes for three decades. A little more than three years ago, upon the recommendation of a trusted friend, Patricia came to Harborside and was impressed with the marina views and the various holistic services offered free to patients. Recently diagnosed with arteriosclerosis and kidney stones, Patricia spent time with Harborside's herbalist Dixie and naturopath Karen, who suggested a diet that helped Patricia lose 30 pounds, and in honor of her arthritic mother, she began attending Harborside's weekly yoga classes-the combination of which Patricia believes helped her quit smoking and eliminate the kidney stones without surgery, much to her doctor's amazement. These days, Patricia smokes cannabis only occasionally but finds the consumption of tinctures and medicated cookies helps her sleep and alleviates the recent stress of having to move into a minivan near Berkeley. "It's like coming to another world," she says of Harborside. "It's the atmosphere-it's fun and supportive. It makes me feel better coming in the door! And I feel much more energetic and happier, and just more alive."

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or call 510-533-0146 for more information.

Andrew DeAngelo, Jennifer Thompson, and Steve DeAngelo receiving the award.

Harborside presented with 

Red Plate Award

Harborside Health Center collected an unprecedented 5,322 pounds of food during the 2010 Holiday Food Drive. In return, the Alameda County Community Food Bank presented Andrew DeAngelo, Jennifer Thompson and Steve DeAngelo on May 3 with the Red Plate Award, which is inscribed, "Your support shows how the community can make a powerful difference in the fight against hunger."

Taking Care

Harborside Health Center Oakland has given 26,937 Care Packages to low-income patients from April 2010 to April 2011. That's roughly 90 pounds-at an approximate total of $222,500 market value-of free medicine in a year!

In order to better serve our patients in need, we have begun a quarterly application process for the Care Package program. To find out if you're qualified to receive weekly care packages, please pick up an application from the reception desk during the months of January, April, July and October.

"The Care Package is sometimes the only meds I take. Due to my altered physiology, pills and other meds don't stay in my system long enough to give me any relief. I really depend on the Care Package program to get me from week to week." - Cody L., 

HHC patient who underwent a pancreaticoduodenectomy, 

or Whipple procedure, in 2007.

Making a difference

Think one person can't possibly make much of a difference? Harborside Health Center endorses active participation in the political and social promotion of the medical cannabis movement. We keep forms and letters that you can fill out at the front desk. We also have aResource Center with all the necessary resources to fill out online forms, write letters, or make phone calls pertinent to the movement. To encourage participation, we will give you a free gift everyweek that you volunteer an hour to work on activism in ourfacilities.

Currently, Harborside boasts 3729 registered patient activist volunteers in its Patient Activist Resource Center program. Collectively, we do make a difference! 

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FYI:  NCIA, our industry's voice 

The National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) formed in December of last year. NCIA is an independent trade association that works to advance the social, economic and legal interests of cannabis-related businesses, and to create industry standards for those businesses in the U.S. Our own Harborside CEO, Steve DeAngelo, is a member of the board and the Harborside finance team (Debi and Luigi) are providing back-office support functions to NCIA. NCIA held their first press conference and day of lobbying in Washington, D.C. in March. Although attendance was limited, lobbying went well overall, and Steve was interviewed on a popular radio station. It's clear the group faces an uphill battle to get a legislative fix on taxes and banking issues for medical cannabis businesses. But the day proved helpful in figuring out what to focus on with congress in the future. As a result, NCIA formed a subcommittee of medical cannabis accountants to coordinate a response to the IRS 280E code section.

In the meantime, NCIA hopes to continue bringing in new members, and encourages medical cannabis professionals to join in defending the voice of the industry on a national level. For more information, visit www.thecannabisindustry.org or call 202-379-4861. 

 

FYI:  FAQ of the Month 

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