Issues
relating to marijuana usage, cultivation and retail sales have come before the
Visalia City Council a number of times during the eight years that I've
served. Although medical marijuana was
legalized in California a number of years ago, our city council chose to not
allow medical marijuana dispensaries within city limits. Now, with the passage of Prop. 64, which the
vast majority of Tulare County residents voted against, California has moved to
legalize the recreational use of marijuana.
However, even under Prop. 64, local governments may restrict or
completely prohibit any type of business licenses relating to marijuana. That issue is currently being debated in a
number of local towns, particularly those with budget problems who see
marijuana cultivation or retail sales as being their tax salvation. I believe that they are being very
shortsighted if they allow such. There
are those few who look to make a profit off this drug at the expense of public
health and safety, who are very vocal in support of licensing such businesses. The licensing issue relating to recreational
marijuana will again come before the Visalia city council in the near future.
Is
this type of business good for our community, business districts, and
neighboring businesses? Let me summarize
from an article I recently read entitled "Should We Welcome the Business
of Drug Dealing?"
Per
this article, crime is common near pot shops, including assaults, robberies and
shootings. On July 19, four individuals
were shot at a pot shop in L.A. during a would-be robbery. Gangs and drug dealers don’t consider
marijuana dispensaries as pharmacies, rather, they see them as rival drug
dealers.
When
pot shops open in a business district, the complaints of the business neighbors
are numerous, including fights, drug use and street drug dealing increasing in
the area. This in turn affects the type
of clientele in that area, and thus the neighboring businesses.
It
is well known that homelessness has increased in the Denver and Seattle areas
after legalization. Also, drug dealing
dramatically increases law enforcement costs.
The San Diego Association of Governments published a report finding that
52% of male arrestees tested positive for marijuana in 2015. 35% reported that they commit crime to
support a drug habit. The Denver
district attorney warned in 2016 that every crime type in that city increased
after legalization of marijuana. He
said, "The Denver Police Department is busier enforcing marijuana laws and
investigating crimes directly related to marijuana, including murders,
robberies and home invasions, than any other time in the history of the
city."
And
it can get even worse. Pot industry
profits are used to buy political influence.
For instance in San Diego several planning commissioners indicated
relationships with the marijuana industry.
They made dozens of land use votes on marijuana businesses while in
these relationships. None appeared to
have had a connection prior to becoming commissioners. They appear to have been approached by
prop-marijuana influencers while in office.
The former mayor pro tem of
Coalinga, which has welcomed the industry, is now a marijuana consultant. And in those states that have legalized
usage, there are no pharmaceutical protocols such as you would find at any
legitimate drug store or pharmacy, as marijuana is sold as pseudo medicine.
Marijuana
is still illegal under federal law.
Common sense and history dictates that marijuana is still a harmful gateway
drug.
Don't
drink the Kool Aid associated with claims that Visalia needs the purported
additional dollars that would come from taxing recreational marijuana
sales. Aside from the difficulty of
enforcing full payment of such taxes on this largely cash industry,
particularly with the recent passage of Measure N our city finances are
sufficient. And there are social costs
involved were we to grasp the brass ring of marijuana tax money. In states that have legalized marijuana, teen
use has increased. Colorado now leads
the nation in teen usage. Traffic
fatalities associated with marijuana have doubled in states that have
legalized. Homelessness and other social
ills have become worse, where the drug is made easily accessible. Marijuana smoke has nearly all the same
carcinogens as cigarette smoke and it is just as addictive, and it impairs
judgment and perception. In Colorado
about 40% of marijuana being sold is black market marijuana despite its
legalization. Visit calmca.org for statistics
and other articles opposing recreational marijuana. We will be failing our youth if we allow this
drug to become normalized locally.
For
the foregoing reasons, I have been against and will continue to vote against
allowing any type of business licenses relating to the cultivation and/or
distribution of marijuana within city limits.
Visalia and our neighboring communities need to continue to just say no
to marijuana and other harmful drugs.
Post script: On Aug. 7, 2017, the Visalia City Council voted 5-0 to not allow commercial growing or retail sales of marijuana in city limits.
Post script: On Aug. 7, 2017, the Visalia City Council voted 5-0 to not allow commercial growing or retail sales of marijuana in city limits.
Warren
Gubler
