Oaksterdam
Oaksterdam is located on the north end of Downtown Oakland, between downtown proper, the Lakeside and the Financial District. It is roughly bordered by 14th street on the Southwest, Harrison Street on the Southeast, 19th Street on the Northeast, and Telegraph Ave on the Northwest.
Since 2005, cannabis is still legally available to patients with patient identification/physician recommendation at a busy dispensary in the neighborhood, one of Oakland's four officially licensed dispensaries under the current municipal ordinance.
According to Proposition 215, a statewide voter initiative which amended the California Health and Safety Code, marijuana used for medical purposes is legal to buy. Dispensaries usually require a doctor's note in order to obtain medical cannabis, which is legal under California Law but illegal under the federal Controlled Substances Act.
History
The name Oaksterdam is a portmanteau of Oakland and Amsterdam, the Dutch city that is famously tolerant towards drug use.
The term was coined by Jim McClelland, after prompting by Andrew Glazier. Jim was an AIDS patient who was a founding member of the Oakland Cannabis Buyers Club and the Berkeley Patients Group.
It is roughly bordered by 14th street on the Southwest, Harrison Street on the Southeast, 19th Street on the Northeast, and Telegraph Ave on the Northwest. The neighborhood also features the Cathedral Building, an ornate, historic Flatiron Building building at Latham Square at the intersection of Broadway and Telegraph.
Educational Institutions
The district features at least two institutions of higher learning, Lincoln University at 15th and Franklin, a small business school catering mainly to international students, and Oaksterdam University on 19th Street, a business college which prepares students for medical cannabis work.
Transportation Infastructure
Mass Transit
The 19th Street BART metrorail station is located beneath Oaksterdam on Broadway between 17th and 20th Streets. The station has entrances on Broadway and on a pedestrian plaza that opens onto Telegraph Avenue.
Berkeley Way (20th Street), which features multiple bus shelters with seating, NextBus arrival prediction signs and Rapid Bus service.
Bicycle Rental
A bicycle rental service has opened in the neighborhood on 15th Street serving one of the only bicycle rental stores in the area. Also, there is a glass blowing school within the bike shop also that teaches classes.
Recently they started a pedi-cab company (Oakstercabs) that offers its services around the downtown area.
Neighborhood Retail
The district is home to a number of coffee shops, a tea shop/hydroponic supply store, cafes, and restaurants open into the evenings, a gift shop, two musical instrument stores and specialty stores which contribute to the vibrancy of the neighborhood.
These shops and services also are attractive to cannabis tourists and enjoy a superior central location next to the 19th Street BART station and AC Transit connections.
Medical Cannabis Dispensation
Since legislative changes passed by the Oakland City Council in 2005, there are no longer a proliferation of cannabis dispensaries in the neighborhood as was the case for several years. One of the four valuable permits is held by a dispensary cafe in the neighborhood.
Measure Z Clubs
One private club in Oaksterdam sells cannabis and food containing cannabis to adults who do not hold valid physician recommendations for medical marijuana, which are needed to obtain county issued patient identification cards in California.