DISPENSARY
DOG RUN
COURIER L 36 IFE, JAN. 11–17, 2019 DT
before entering the dispensary
on the Park Slope–Prospect
Heights border, which
Quattrone described as more
day spa than a smoke shop.
“We were kind of going for
a modern-day apothecary with
a Brooklyn vibe,” he said.
New York State’s medicalmarijuana
policy is much
stricter than those of other
states, and qualifying patients
must suffer from diseases on
a short list of debilitating illnesses
— which include AIDS,
epilepsy, multiple sclerosis,
post-traumatic-stress disorder,
infl ammatory-bowel disease,
and Parkinson’s disease
— or be diagnosed with
chronic pain.
The more than 100 borough
physicians trained and
certifi ed to prescribe medicinal
weed can also do so in
lieu of prescribing opioids ,
which caused roughly 1,075 of
the city’s 1,300 drug-overdose
deaths in 2016, data shows, but
are less deadly in states with
medical-cannabis programs,
according to the state Health
Department.
But those Brooklynites sick
enough to qualify for medical
marijuana may fi nd the drug
too expensive to afford, because
insurance companies
will not foot the bill for it as
long as weed remains illegal
under federal law, forcing patients
to pay out of pocket for
pot-based pain relievers.
2009 scheme leaders of Windsor
Terrace’s Sean Casey Animal
Rescue hatched to build
a facility at Greenwood Playground
that ultimately fi zzled
out.
That failed plan hasn’t
stopped many pooch owners
from using a dusty, fenced-in
space at the triangular playground
near Fort Hamilton
Parkway as an unoffi cial dog
run, however, where they’ve
let mutts run off-leash for
years while waiting for an offi
cial alternative.
But Parks Department
leaders refuse to permit public
use of that site due to conditions
including poor drainage
and exposed tree roots.
And cops will stop by every
so often to issue fi nes to
folks who let Fido run freely
there, according to Garro,
who said those violations are
a big reason why his group
wants the city to get a move
on with the offi cial Parade
Ground run, which the local
dog owners designed along
with leaders of meadow conservancy
the Prospect Park
Alliance.
“Over the years, there’s
been the occasional complaints
and police come and
ticket people who come with
their dogs off leash,” he said.
Plans for the dog run in
Brooklyn’s Backyard, which
Borough President Adams,
Park Slope Councilman Brad
Lander, and Ditmas Park
Councilman Mathieu Eugene
all set aside taxpayer
funds to create, include making
dedicated areas for large
and small pups, and laying
synthetic grass tailor-made
to be soft on paws, which
should result in an excellent
space for community canines
to roam — however long it
takes to build, Garro said.
“I’m so excited for it,” he
said. “This neighborhood
has been yearning for a dog
run for a long time.”
SWANKY: Citiva offers various
cannabis-based products, including
oils, pills, and topical salves,
which patients will fi nd tucked
away on shelves also stocked with
carefully curated knickknacks.
Citiva
THE ALTERNATIVE: Pooch owners
now use this small patch of
fenced-in dirt near Greenwood
Playground as an unoffi cial dog
run. Photo by Colin Mixson
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