Community says no to pot shops
Loomis Town Council votes down medical marijuana dispensaries
The Loomis Town Council has voted — there will be no pot shops in Loomis. The council unanimously voted to prohibit medical marijuana dispensaries within the town limits at a special meeting on Nov. 3. Council members were in agreement that there are cases where medical marijuana is appropriate, but they showed solidarity in their opinions that having a dispensary in Loomis would not set a good example for the town youth. “Instead of having a conversation about how we can get more marijuana in Loomis we should ask how we can have less,” said Mike Edwards, president of the Loomis Union School District board of trustees. Edwards said a district grammar school student recently brought marijuana on campus. “We’ve had the first incident in my seven years on the school board,” he said. Placer County Sheriff’s Captain Dave Harris presented a report to the council that cited an increase in marijuana use at Colfax High School after a dispensary opened there. He said in San Diego, at 15 marijuana dispensaries that were investigated, 63 percent of medical marijuana permit holders were between the ages of 18 and 30, and that 10 percent were 17-year-olds. He said those age groups do not typically suffer from many of the diseases for which medical marijuana is used. Vic Markey, of Loomis, gave an impassioned plea to the council against approval of pot shops. “I can’t believe you’re considering allowing an element in town you have no control over. Children outweigh all other issues in this argument,” Markey said. Loomis resident Jeremy Sutter told the council, “We don’t have the resources to regulate something like this. Let the bigger cities that have the resources take care of this.” Harris said that other cities have had problems with oversight of the medical marijuana dispensaries and that record keeping in many dispensaries is sloppy. He listed a number of crimes associated with dispensaries including burglaries, sales of other illegal drugs, purchase of illicit drugs to supply the dispensary and illegal drug sales outside dispensaries. “The youth of our community are important gifts we value. Youth are impressionable,” said councilmember Miguel Ucovich, when citing his opposition. Councilmember Rhonda Morillas said she polled business people during the last few months. “They aren’t in favor of it,” she said. Russ Kelley said patients can legally purchase medical marijuana in other areas and it should never be for sale in Loomis. Erik Peterson, a Loomis commercial property owner, and Robert Dearwester, of Colfax, both spoke in favor of allowing the shops. Dearwester had notified the council in a letter that he was interested in opening a pot shop. Peterson also had informed the council he was interested in opening one. “It seems the town’s wishes have been met,” Peterson said after the council vote to prohibit the shops. Dearwester declined to comment on the council’s decision. According to Perry Beck, Loomis town manager, a public hearing and first reading of an ordinance prohibiting medicinal pot shops will be held Tuesday, Dec. 8 at the regularly scheduled council meeting. Further public comment will be heard at that time, before the ordinance is enacted after a second reading in January 2010.
Keywords
Loomis Town Council, marijuana dispensary, pot shop, Mike Edwards, Loomis Union School District board of trustees, Placer County Sheriff’s Captain Dave Harris, Colfax High School, Vic Markey, Jeremy Sutter, Miguel Ucovich, Rhonda Morillas, Russ Kelley, Erik Peterson, Robert Dearwester, Perry Beck,
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Anyone who does a little research will find that "medicinal marijuana" is a scam designed to enable distribution of pot to stoners.
They have a network of doctors who will prescribe (for money) pot for virtually any claimed malady. Then the pot-shop sells it without concern.
17 years old, have a problem focusing on your homework? Pot is the answer!
Good job Loomis. Those shops are nothing more than legalized drug dealing.Majority of the "people" that go in those places dont have anything wrong with them, they're just low life drug addicts.
I should think that the few true legitimate medical mari pot patients understand that the people are concerned about their children and neighborhoods. Although I don't live in Loomis I really like the atmosphere in that town. Great work by the Council.
Hey Loomis!, Thing are looking up for you and the neighborhood. Good work by the council.
My heartfelt thanks to the Council for their decision.
Y-S I totally agree, I have friends that have used the "network" you mentioned to get prescriptions.
It is my humble opinion that legitimate medicinal marijuana should be dispensed like all other drugs through legitimate pharmacies. They have means of securing drugs and thus avoid the home invasion type robberies of pot plants and other associated crime.
Since someone from Colfax wants to open a "dispensary" in Loomis that tells me it is more of a profitable enterprise than a good deed on behalf of the sick.
Now let me clarify one thing, there are legitimate users of medicinal pot, most of them are undergoing chemotherapy, I have no problem with them obtaining it, I have a problem with head shops and pseudo medicinal users.
Yosemite_Sam
You obviously haven't really done much homework. Though there is plenty of abuse the majority of people using the program are indeed seriously ill.
loomisresident
Your solution of selling in legitimate pharmacies would don nothing at all to solve system abuse problems. That has to be addressed at the physician level. If they don't have a recommendation from a doctor they can't utilize either one.
Personally I don't care how it is distributed as long as sick people get what eases their symptoms. If you are concerned with abuse, physician enforcement is the only answer.
Why cant Auburn City Council be as level headed as Loomis City Council?
CA04: I have no problem with people who need medical marijuana using it.
The issue is abuse. Its widespread to the point that the vast majority of users are not medical at all. How do I know that? Well... there is a dispensary in Colfax (population very small). How many cancer/glaucoma patients can there be in Colfax?
So how does that business thrive?
Freeway traffic for people with bogus prescriptions that were paid for and produced by an unscrupulous "doctor". I think chiropractors are writing srips now too.
http://forum.grasscity.com/medical-marijuana/339020-how-hard-get-prescription-ca.html
Check out this website..it provides a blog for updating people on how stoned you are *right now* and look at the types of "medicine" provided.
http://legalmarijuanadispensary.com/
Its not "Oh, my cancer is feeling better", its "Dude, I am smoking some awesome ganja and I think my ears just melted off!!!!"
Abuse.
Yeah!
Yosemite_Sam
First even though they are often treated as businesses by cities dispensaries are by law non profit co-ops. As far as I know there are no other dispensaries in Placer, Nevada and maybe El Dorado Counties so Colfax is serving a much larger area than Colfax which if you had done any research you would know. As far as chiropractors writing scripts see the first chapter of the health and safety code below. Which you should have included in any serious research that you did on the matter. If you disagree with the law its fine but hyperbole, rhetoric and anecdotal evidence is no replacement for real facts. Honestly I don't even have a strong position on the topic but I do on the truth.
CALIFORNIA CODES
HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE
SECTION 11362.7-11362.83
11362.7. For purposes of this article, the following definitions
shall apply:
(a) "Attending physician" means an individual who possesses a
license in good standing to practice medicine or osteopathy issued by
the Medical Board of California or the Osteopathic Medical Board of
California and who has taken responsibility for an aspect of the
medical care, treatment, diagnosis, counseling, or referral of a
patient and who has conducted a medical examination of that patient
before recording in the patient's medical record the physician's
assessment of whether the patient has a serious medical condition and
whether the medical use of marijuana is appropriate.
WOW!!!! So many avenues to travel on this subject. Not much of a user but I do enjoy a good cup of "GREEN " tea now and then.
It cures my anxiety. I do not smoke. I can't handle the "high" from smoking. I just want relief from my symptom.
Anyone who doesn't think marijuana has medicinal properties needs to take the blinders off! I donated a kidney to a veteran last year and due to complications lost 65 pounds ( could not eat ANYTHING) MARIJUANA DID NOTHING LESS THAT SAVE MY LIFE! and as for people who use Marijuana , People say they are held back in achieving thier goals, THE LAST 3 PRESIDENTS OF THESE UNITED STATES ADMITTED TO SMOKING MARIJUANA! I'm sorry but can anyone think of a higher goal to achieve? Additionally today among teens pharmaceuticals are the most widely abused drugs, are you going to shut down the pharmacies?this policy of burying your heads in the sand and hoping it will go away is an utter failure! IF YOU ARE CONCERNED ABOUT ABUSE THE ONLY TRUE ANSWER IS EDUCATION NOT PROHIBITION!
1. If cannabis has no medicinal value then what is this: US Patent 6630507 - Cannabinoids as antioxidants and neuroprotectants; issued October 7, 2003. (actually there are ~30 patents pertaining to this belonging to the us government)
2. Natural THC with the empirical formula C-21 H-30 O-2 bad (I) but synthetic THC with the empirical formula C-21 H-30 O-2 good (III).
3. Cannabinoid Action Induces Autophagy-Mediated Cell Death Through Stimulation of ER Stress in Human Glioma Cells
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I, School of Biology, Complutense University, Madrid, Spain.
DO ANY OF YOU CARE TO DISCUSS THESE POINTS i HAVE RAISED?
truthfinder, what points? You mean your ramblings? You can't cut and paste from High Times magazine and expect to be taken seriously.
nothing cut and pasted. nothing taken from high times. if you would please keep conjecture out of it and explain exactly how anything I wrote is " rambling"?
Realist you just took the words away from my fingers!
Truth Finder I bet dollars to donuts you couldn't define what half of that is... not saying I can, but just think it is funny you use big words to sound smart.
We don't buy it.. just like we don't buy "medicinal"
The way you are looking at people and can know what is wrong with them is amazing and you should not be a hater of mankind but a faith healer. You say that 63% are in between the age of 18 to 30. I don't understand why that is important unless you think that young people don't get sick. your ignorance is dangerous. Do you know that the AMA (American Medical Assn.) Said that Marijuana is medicine? and they are doctors. What is your background? Oh yes you have the super power to look at people and know if they are sick. That will come in handy with the H1N1 virus. So don't get a vacination save that for the people who can't see who's sick. You probably think that if you use marijuana you will go insane, won't fight in war or look white people in the eye. Do you know that Holy oil from God used 4 lbs to make it? so if Jesus was here today you would put him in jail for trying to cure the sick and annointing the sick.
Well here you go...The main chemical in marijuana appears to aid in the destruction of brain cancer cells, offering hope for future anti-cancer therapies, researchers in Spain wrote in a study.
The authors from the Complutense University in Madrid, working with scientists from other universities, found that the active component of marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol ( THC ), causes cancer cells to undergo a process called autophagy - the breakdown that occurs when the cell essentially self-digests.
cells die off and new ones are formed BEFORE they have the chance to become cancerous. do a little reading, and you shouldn't jump to conclusions about someones education merely for the reason they dont support uor failed drug laws.
If someone wants real information about the MM program the can get it here. Its a bit more accurate than someones opinion.
http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/MMP/Pages/Medical%20Marijuana%20Program.aspx
The law was a good example of what is wrong with the ballot initiative process. It leaves way too much open for interpretation at every level, which leads to a lot of abuse and misinformation. They are starting to crack down on doctors that abuse the system you can see a good example at the link below.
http://nofemalepatients.com/2009.10.23-HanyAssad-DecisionRevoked.pdf
I don't believe anyone disputes the medicinal power of pot, I think the people seem to dispute that every Tom, Dick and Harriet need it. And abuse is rampant. I have friends that are nothing but potheads and have been for 35- 40 years, they know Dr's that will give out prescriptions with no problem, now they can get stoned legally. That is the problem. Since they can also grow their own they save a lot of money to boot plus they make exchanges with their "dispenser", formerly known as dealer.
Again, I don't want to stop those that really need it from getting it
So truthfinder, you are saying pot kills brain cells?!?! Well duh! Should we judge your education based on your writing skills? That wouldn't be too favorable to you either.
your screen name says realist but you are anything but. do you think our drug laws are actually working? If you did just a little research BEFORE commenting you would find out that MANY MANY substances kill brain cells but not cancerous ones. is that all you can do is critique my writing skills instead of actually discussing the issue! do you have any FACTS or just opinion and emotion?
loomis - just out of curiosity, are your friends bad people? Do they contribute nothing to society? Are they hurting anyone with their pot use? Does it really matter what they choose to do in their own home? I'm not sure I understand why you see it as a problem.
Realist - jeez, can you contribute something worthwhile? Talk about lack of brain cells... what's your excuse? See how that works - insults are easy. Instead of sitting there coming up with "clever" insults, let's hear a fact that supports your opposition. Can you?
that_one...well I defined it but even if I couldnt would it make it any less true? If it will help you to understand better I can use smaller words. and just because you dont " buy" it does not mean it does not have medicinal properties. do you have any FACTS to explain why you dont buy it? do you have a medical degree and peer reviewed data, or can you dispute with FACTS what I have written? Instead of throwing out slogans. Here's a slogan for you ....WHEN POLITICIANS PLAY DOCTOR PATIENTS ARE THE ONES WHO SUFFER!
kittyv And If they are getting their stuff from a drug lord or one of his dealers and all those nice people or doesn't your curiosity go that far.
With all your curiosity did you ever figure out why the figured out that there is 360 Degrees in a circle. I think it was a bunch of politicians behind closed doors but maybe you know.
watchit... so by your thinking, wouldnt it make MORE sense to change our drug laws and put all those drug lords and dealers out of buisness.
lol no to pot shops but allows Asian messages with a happy ending. how stupid
no to pot shops but how many establishments sell alcohol? did you know that alcohol is by far worse on both the user and society than marijuana, so how many of you have partaken of alcoholic beverages?
better yet .... how many Loomis council members have partaken of alcoholic beverages? if any have ever....that makes them hypocrites! and sadly misinformed.
Truthfinder- we get it,your a pothead.
Secondly, alcohol is legal.
How about this one: Everyone in this state makes up an illness, gets a medical marijuana card, fails the drug test when applying for a job, can`t pay the bills, mooches of the government until all the money is spent, then they could all just plant and grow pot all day long, and sell it...oh but people could not buy it due to lack of funds....oh we could ship it to another state and just legalize growing and selling it. Yahoo!!! The possibilities are endless....
Wonder what my grandparents did when they got sick, could not sleep or had to go to war....they #$^$&# sucked it up and got over it. If you have a FATAL illness like cancer, YES, anything else NO!!!! Kids these days are already dumb enough; i.e. recent pole showing they don`t even know who the Vice President is, lOL, I guess letting them smoke dope will at least keep them from voting.
AUBURNNATIVE... your very quick to jump to the conclusion that I'm a "pothead" just because I'm passoinate about this subject. yes I did use marijuana and it helped me tremendously! Yes alcohol is legal but that does not make it safer than marijuana which it is not by any strech of the imagination. opticat1 do you use any pian mecication? or anti naseua medication? maybe you should just suck it up and deal with it next time! as for me, and I speak from experience, I would rather use a drug that is just as effective yet much more safe than many pharmaceutical narcotics. if you would like I can give you a very long list of very prominent and successful people who have or do smoke marijuana.
loomisres.
A doctor in California cannot prescribe for marijuana... they can recommend only. As for the pot shop, good on Loomis. As for availability , why go through the trouble of getting a Dr's recommendation when the kid next door could probably get you all you need? It's everywhere.
kitty, no, they are not bad people although they do put themselves in situations that could lead to accidents. O don't have a problem with MM, I have a problem with passing it as such when reality says it's just being sold for pleasure. I'm neutral on pot, I tried it many years ago, don't do it any more, same as with alcohol, it was my choice, nothing bad happened just i felt they weren't for me.
As far as legalizing it we must remember that the THC content on today's Pot is ten times higher than in my heyday, then it was about 3% now it's upwards of 30%. I have seen the effects and they are pretty much the same rhat would lead to a DUI.
That is my objection.
If perple did it in their homes, I wouldn't mind, but you know as well as I do that we will have people smoking everywhere, they do the same with alcohol but if LE sees you driving and drinking a beer they will stop you, if you are just smoking a cigarette they won't but you will be just as impaired.
Loomisresident: actually the average thc content of cannabis today is just under 10% that comes from the doj itself. and it doesnt matter the content because people mill use less of the strong stuff to get the same effect. Additionally marinol is 100% thc and sold legally there has never been not 1 overdose of it. How many people are driving under the influence of pharmacueticals? LE can't see that either should we criminilize all of them?
the pharmacueticals, not the people.
Truthfinder- Why are so intent on proving that marijuana is beneficial?
Personally I think smoking is a crime and harmful to one's health. I am very happy to see that this store and the rift raft that goes with it will not be in one of our towns.
I am very glad that you can name many productive / successful people that have smoked but for every one of those I bet I can name 10 who aren't or are on some sort of goverment aid.
Truthfinder-
The only thing you comment on is weed related articles.
Weird.
that_one : why am I so intent? did you not red my comment about donating a kidney becomming very ill and MARIJUANA DID NOTHING LESS THAN SAVE MY LIFE! Do you feel that drinking alcohol is harmful to ones health yet you don't speak up about the establishments that sell alcohol? I"LL TAKE YOUR CHALLENGE HOW MANY PEOPLE DO YOU KNOW?
# Aaron Sorkin, creator of ''The West Wing".
# Art Garfunkel , singer, Simon and Garfunkel.
# Abbie Hoffman, Activist.
# Al and Tipper Gore Politicians
# Aleister Crowley, Author and Famous Satanist.
# Alexander Dumas. Was a member of the "Club de Hachichins". Author - "The Three Musketeers"
# Ali Campbell, Singer with UB40
# Alice B. Toklas. Famous Cook - Wrote recipe for Hash Fudge Filmed as. 'I Love You Alice B. Toklas'
# Allen Ginsberg, Poet.
# Andrea Corr, musician, "The Corrs".
# Anjelica Huston, Actress.
# Arnold Schwarzenegger. Actor. ``I did smoke a joint and I did inhale.''
# Art Garfunkel. Singer of, "Simon and Garfunkel" fame.
# Arthur Rimbaud
# Balzac.
# Beatles.
# Benjamin Franklin, Many claims but little proof.
# Bill "...but I didn't inhale." Clinton, Politician.
# Bill Gates. Not confirmed, just very strongly hinted at in his Playboy interview.
# Bill Murray Arrested for possession.
# Bing Crosby. Famous crooner of "I'm dreaming of a White Christmas". Now the Film "High Society" makes sense!
# Bix Beiderbecke Jazz musician.
# Black Crowes, musicians
# Bob Denver, Star of "Gilligan's Island".
# Bob Dylan
Bob Marley, musician
# Burt Reynolds, actor. He left his first wife because of her drug use. But he has been seen in Cannabis Cafes.
# Bruce Lee.
# Cab Calloway, Jazz musician. Claimed he only used it once.
# Carl Sagan, Scientist - SiFi writer - film "Contact" More info here.
# Carlos Santana musician.
# Carrie Fischer, Actress
# Charlie Sheen, actor.
# Charlize Theron, Actress. More here.
# Charles Beaudelaire, Author.
# Cheech Marin, Actor, Don Johnson's sidekick in the TV detective series "Nash Bridges."
# Chris Conrad, Author and expert on Cannabis Hemp
# Chris Farley. Comedian.
# Chrissie Hynde, musician.
# Chris Rock, Actor, Comedian, Producer, Screenwriter.
# Chubby Checker, Musician. Sang; "Lets Twist Again".
# Cilla Black, Musician and presenter. Tried it in the '60's but didn't like it.
# Claire Rayner, Agony Aunt.
# Cody Kasch Actor. TV series Desperate Housewives
# Conan O'Brian TV Host
# Count Basie, Jazz Ban Leader. He was on an DEA file of marajuana users.
# Dame Margot Fonteyn, Prima ballerina. Also see entries for Rudolf Nureyev.
# David Bailey, Photographer .
# Dan Quayle . Politician.
# David Cameron . Politician. Leader of UK Conservative Party .
# David Hockney, Artist.
# Diego Rivera Mexican Artist
# Dion Fortune Welsh occultist.
# Dionne Warwick, Famous singer of "Walk on by".
# Dioscorides Pedanius, 1 st cent. AD. Greek physician. …
I only posted up to the d's so... that_one you said 10 for every1 I listed ,start with these and when you do I'll show you the rest. oh and dont forget Newt Gringrich!!! he smoked before as well!
And why is it weird that I comment on a subject I'm passionate about.
you know whats weird... denying sick people effective medication! thats weird and insulting!
Thanks Truthfinder! You are right! These people don't know why they are arguing you and oblivious to the facts (facts like: liqueur stores are drug dispensaries.) The problem is that when you are raised with a certain set of beliefs, it is hard to step back and think rationally and forget everything you were taught (easier to rely on already embedded beliefs). Most people grew up with parents who drank, smoked cigs and condemned pot. The fact that there are dispensaries now shows that we are moving in the right direction. We HAVE to get off paxil, zoloft, welbutrin, prozec etc...and on the herb! These pharma companies (trust me I have worked for them for the last 15 years as a contractor) do not spend very much time looking at potential mind altering side affects of prescription drugs. Mother nature has given us a gift and we scoff at her. Shame on us.
Auburner: your welcome and truer words have never been spoken
Legalizing cannabis will do nothing to the illicit drug trade. Look at the illegal trade of prescription medication. As big as that business is it pales in comparison to the illicit marijuana trade.
harleyrider: the same thing was said of alcohol during the end of prohibition I , yet you dont see a still in every backyard.additionally the number of teen marijuana users has DROPPED in states that have medical marijuana laws!
Dear truthfinder, I don't remember seeing anyone on your list living in Loomis.I don't care about them or Auburn. Do what you want. Just don't tell Loomis what to do. Ya see, we care about the kids in this town. So toke up all you want. It's your truth.
Ya know truthfinder, when your kids get busted and have records in Auburn, you can tell everybody how great it is helping the "sick people". You can write your kids off as casualties knowing how much you helped. Won't you be so happy and proud? If you don't have a vision, you don't have the solution.
harleyrider, you missed the pointI. It's about kids. Funny how that doesn't register with you. You'er a punk. Still yuking it up?
vicmarkey:If you were truly concerned for the children then you would want cannabis regulated and controlled, to make it LESS available to them. do you really think that our existing laws are doing anything to that effect? maybe you can pull your head out of the sand long enough to look at some FACTS! can you do anything but parrot back what you have been spoon fed? If you TRULY cared about the kids in loomis and think that sales of intoxicants to adults causes more harm to them why are you not trying to get all the establishments that sell alcohol in loomis shut down? Dealers don't ask for identification or a doctors recomendation, they sell to ANYONE ,including children.so I guess your writing those kids off as casualties of how much you helped, keep dealers in buisness and selling to kids. you must be so happy and proud! and your right ...if you dont have a vision you dont have the solution, and you my friend are wearing blinders!
Chris Farley is dead.... you know what from? OD on drugs... pot is a gateway drug after all.
Truthfinder I understand you are intent on proving that pot is not bad for you. You need to realize though that it will never be legal.
I would take all this energy you have and focus it on something a little more realistic.
BTW... next time somebody asks you who you know, try not to copy and paste articles.
that_one: Chris Farley died of a cocain overdose, you CANNOT die from an overdose of cannabis...The University of Pittsburg did a 12 year study and determined that cannabis is NOT a gateway drug, that the common liability model is more accutate at determining who will go on to abuse drugs ( that means personal decisions and environmental influences determine future drug abuse).and as far as it never being legal... there 4 ballot initiatives on the ballot for california in 2010, a zogby poll made last july showed that 56% of the voting public in california supported legalization.
BTW... I never said I know the people on the list merely that I could provide a list of sucessful people who do or have used cannabis, so next time you try to give me advice get all the info provided to you first. so... how about Al and Tipper Gore? or Newt Gringrich?
Connecting the use of alcohol with the use of pot is an argument made by a person who cannot argue the merrits of pot use. Not surprising. Get your own shop in Auburn. Truth, you need to reread my first statement. Pot won't be sold in Loomis. You can have it anywhere else.
vicmarkey:If you want to see my argument on the merrits of cannabis then maybe you should scroll up and read my first comment for the first time! Why is it not valid to compare cannibis to alcohol? they are both intoxicants, do you think alcohol is safer than cannabis? do you think ASPIRIN is safer than cannabis? How many kids are on pharmacueticals ? Are you going to shut down the pharmacies? Your arguments make no sense, the only way to keep kids from using is to educate them, If you think keeping a dispensary out of town is keeping kids off of cannabis then you need to get out in your community more.
If you are so right, why aren't you putting your name on your post?
why would that have anything to do with me being right? you put your name on your posts and your so obviously wrong, so thats not a valid arguement.
Just speaks to your level of commitment. At least I am responsible enough to own what I say and back it uo with my name. Anybody can say anything. You invalidate your argument.
it does nothing to invalidate the FACTS, and that is a very weak argument, because you have no facts to back up your position.
Truthfinder- I give up and I still win. No pot shops in my community. I'm happy. BTW you even wrote in your post "how many people do you know." .... guess I win again :)
that_one: you win nothing, nothing was EVER said about me knowing the people on that list, if I asked YOU how many people you know that is NOT you asking ME! and there are already pot shops in loomis, you just cant see these ones. Thier not storefronts that you can see, But they are there none the less. and you think your winning, If by winning you mean " has no reasonable,factual, statemens to support your side" then you are!
Don't need all that, I have the law. I think you know how they feel about the stuff.
vicmarkey - I believe that you are coming at this issue from a sincere concern for the children in your community. Unfortunately though, you have closed your mind to medicinal marijuana and are basing your opinion on emotion and antiquated beliefs about cannabis. Do you have this same concern for the massage parlors recently opened in your community? You stated at the meeting that it was an element the town would have no control over, this is incorrect, there are laws which must be followed by the shop and the people who utilize them which can and should be enforced. I realize however, that you have made up your mind.
I'm concerned about the "report" from the Sheriff showing an increase in pot usage at Colfax High since the dispensary opened. I would like to know where this information was gathered from, I would like to know, this claim is based on what? Recently at the school the kids completed a survey where they encouraged the kids to be honest about drug use. The survey was stated to be for future education purposes, is this where the sheriff gained his information? Because I would be rather angry if it was used for the purpose of running a dispensary to provide medicinal marijuana to those that need it out of town. I also take issue with using statistics from a location like San Diego, this is not a fair or accurate comparison. Despite claims of sloppy record keeping, I suspect it had more to do with finding the facts as they wanted them to be.
Each community has the right to decide whether they want a dispensary in their town. Know that between Placer Co, El Dorado Co, and Nevada Co, from what I can see you can count the number of dispensaries on one hand. That equates to huge area of people who are being forced to drive long distances to get the medicine that is working for them. For some of these people, that is a significant and painful hardship. People are allowing their prejudices, albeit prejudices which have been hammered into their heads for a very long time, to deny people what they legally have the right to access. If these bans were based on conclusions made after real thought instead of knee jerk reaction that would be one thing; that is not what is happening and this story here is a perfect example. I hope that other communities use a little more critical thinking and less stereotyping and emotion based opinion than Loomis did.
Dear kittyv, interesting blog. Your discussion is very accurate. However, if someone does not agree with you you say, "more critical thinking and less stereo typing and emotion based opinion than Loomis did". Pleading medicinal marjuana for the sick is not emotional? You are guilty of your own criticism. Interesting you don't see that. Yes I am for the kids. But please understand: a responsible adult can do anything they want, even break the law. But we really need to protect our kids. There should be middle ground somewhere.
Mr. Markey, I have seen the people who utilize dispensaries, and they are very ill. Yes, to some degree my opinion on this subject is enforced by this and my support does have some element of my emotional response to their suffering. But it's also based on the knowledge that a big part of the attitude towards marijuana is founded in unnecessary fear and a long history of misinformation masked as education about it. I don't want it in the hands of minors either, but I disagree that a dispensary will create more juvenille use, I am suspect of both the report from the sheriff and the motivation behind it. Again, it's your town, you did what you felt was best, but hopefully other towns will try a little harder to find that middle ground you speak of. I think you are right, there is a middle ground, and I think at some point we will find it. It's highly possible mj will end up legalized, then all this is moot anyway. Hopefully the laws regarding Cannabis Hemp will change as well, an excellent resource we can't utilize because of the unnecessary fear that surrounds this plant.
I want you to know, I like your town, and I like how you guys haven't caved in to development dollars, I'm just disappointed in the decision on this one, that's all.