Oaksterdam - History

History

The name Oaksterdam is a combination of Oakland and Amsterdam, 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 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. On April 2, 2012 the DEA raided Oaksterdam University and executed a smash and grab. No charges filed and no trial but the DEA goons took everything. Harborside is being threatened too as well as some SF dispensaries. Steve DeAngelo spoke out against the raids and the IRS threats and vowed to serve the patients and reminded us about the patients locked up in jail. The DEA is systematically trying to destroy the medical cannabis community. Melinda Haag the DEA prosecutor has been threatening the city sanctioned dispensaries with closure. The IRS has taken away the standard deduction claiming that the medical cannabis community is a criminal enterprise. Richard Lee announced he was no longer going to be the leader at Oaksterdam University due to the harassment by the DEA.