The following email was sent to Oaksterdam University. Last name and emails have been witheld for privacy. Tom and the university have spoken with Ilia and agreed to this post.
-----Original Message----- From: THOMAS
Sent: Friday, April 25, 2008 11:41 PM To: Admissions @ Oaksterdam University Subject: Chronicle Article
Greetings,
My name is Tom and I attended your class sessions for the April 12-13 weekend. There was a reporter from the Chronicle present during this class, and I am writing in regards to his article that appeared in the paper.
I am the "Tom" that was quoted in the article, and I want you to know that I was severely misquoted. Specifically, the writer claimed that I referred to club pot operators as "scumbags" who were "cutting out loopholes just to make their millions." I said no such thing. I didn't say anything even close to that. The only thing I said to the guy that had anything to do with clubs was that I did not personally have any interest in opening one. The only things the @$$#*!% got right were my name and the fact that I don't smoke pot (he got the reason wrong though, I never said it "turned me into an idiot." I said it made me introspective and weird.)
Please rest assured that I appreciate the service that you provide, and admire the courage and determination of Richard Lee. I have nothing but respect for Oaksterdam University and its representatives.
Please forward this information to the appropriate individuals. I will be following up this email with a phone call. If you have the time, it would be encouraging if you could shoot me an email back letting me know that you guys have read this. It distresses me to think that my reputation may have been damaged.
Peace,
Tom
-----End of Message-----
OaksterdamINFO would also like to correct:
-Chris Conrad is a court-qualifed expert witness, not an attorney
Well, we like to keep everyone up to date! Here's the latest buzz around Oaksterdam. It's the radio ad playing on 107.7 THE BONE.
Click here to download the short audio piece...OaksterdamUniv.mp3 ...I know, I know, the ad does talk about the 4/20 event which has passed, but if you missed hearing it on the radio, you're probably glad to be able to hear it now! Have you heard about the new movie called Super High Me? It's listed on the home page.
(04-20) 18:22 PDT Oakland -- Ryan and Matthew Epperley awoke at 4 a.m. in Redding, loaded their Dodge Durango with clothes for the weekend and arrived in Oakland on a Saturday morning just in time to attend their first class at Oaksterdam University.
The brothers were among 20 people enrolled in the two-day course that, by Sunday evening, would teach them how to own and operate a pot club in California. They'd learn how to grow their product indoors, harvest it and cook with it, and hear from several lecturers on the legality of such a practice.
Ryan, 30, resembled Larry the Cable Guy with his well-worn baseball cap and a sleeveless shirt that revealed a shoulder tattoo of a skull and dagger. He was awake late one night watching television when he saw a report on Oaksterdam.
It's time... Come on down to the Bulldog Coffeeshop. This Sunday, 11a-5p at 1739 Broadway, the Bulldog Coffeeshop, join us for the festivities, events, and prizes. Please see the news post below with more details.
4/20/08 IS HERE!
WHAT ARE YOU DOING?
....going to the Bulldog Coffeeshop, of course!!!
More details in the 420 party post below... A producer will be looking to speak with students of Oaksterdam University, for the possibility of being cast in a reality TV series with cannabis as it's focus. Come find out more.
If you haven't heard of Measure Z, it's time to get in the know. Please read the downloadable meeting agenda packet in a post below and please come to this meeting:
4/17/08 @ 6:00pm
Oakland City Hall (14th and Broadway, in downtown Oakland, CA)
City Council Chambers
1 Frank Ogawa Plaza
Oakland, CA
AFTERPARTY: Join us after the meeting for discussion, refreshments, and party favors at the Bulldog Coffeeshop (1739 Broadway Ave, Oakland, CA).
As RichardLee wheels along 15th Street in Oakland, a neighbor notices him. "Hey, movie star," she says. But Lee, 45, is no movie star. He's more than that. He is the president of a university - Oaksterdam U.
"I first heard the word 'Oaksterdam' on a variety of cannabis that was available at a medical club here in Oakland. It was called 'Oaksterdam Goo.' I liked the idea of promoting the Amsterdam model. In Amsterdam it's been openly available for over 30 years now and they get lots of tax dollars, lots of tourists.
Oaksterdam is between downtown Oakland and Lake Merritt. We like to think of ourselves as part of the uptown or entertainment district. There are about a dozen cannabis-related businesses in Oaksterdam at the moment.
Oaksterdam University is our newest project to help promote the idea of a cannabis-friendly district in Oakland. We like to say Oaksterdam University is 'quality training for the cannabis industry.' All the clubs combined pay about $5 million in taxes already, plus about that much in payroll taxes. The university is a political institution. Its mission is to legitimize the business and work to change the law to make cannabis legal. Our first classes were November of 2007. We had 22 people. Our February, March and April classes sold out. We have students coming from New York, Florida and Oregon.
All Things Considered,April 3, 2008 ยท California's potential $16 billion budget shortfall has led state officials to an unusual source for tax revenue -- medical marijuana storefronts. In a state where it's legal to buy prescription pot, those shops generate millions of dollars each year. But there's just one problem -- buying and selling marijuana is still a federal crime.
Richard Lee, owner of a coffee shop and marijuana dispensary in Oakland, says he's proud of the more than $200,000 a year he pays in sales tax. His store sells marijuana buds in one-eighth ounce bags.
"We have one medium grade on our menu, that's $30 an eighth plus tax," Lee says. "And three high grades, that's $40 an eighth plus tax, so it comes to $44 with tax, sales tax included."
Medical marijuana advocates estimate that the aggregate annual sales tax revenue that's paid by the approximately 400 dispensaries in California is $100 million. Kris Hermes, a spokesman for Americans for Safe Access, says the state actually makes it easy for pot venders to do business without revealing their product by issuing generic "sellers permits."
"This goes a few steps forward in legitimizing medical marijuana at the state level," he says. "And you would expect that the state would like to protect that revenue source."
California's Board of Equalization, the agency that collects sales taxes, wants to protect that revenue stream.
"We view medical marijuana dispensaries as law-abiding businesses," board member Betty Yee says. "Many of them have complied with state tax laws. And when there's aggressive federal action to shut these businesses down, it's awfully difficult for a state tax agency like the Board of Equalization to work to ensure compliance with state tax laws."
