To the Editor:
Responsible citizens, taxpayers, voters; you who are critical thinkers have you had enough? Do you really want your county back? If so, you are called to duty. There is a crisis brewing for Mendocino County, and all are called to rally and support Measure B. Measure B is necessary to repeal Measure G which has caused our beautiful county and its citizens harm. The widespread, unchecked growth of marijuana, if left unchecked, will choke the life from this county and leave it in the hands of a cancerous growth. You must help repeal Measure G. Already we are hearing the whiners complain against Measure B. Each whiner clearly identifies themselves and their intent by the content of their letters to the editor. They are the stakeholders and proponents of marijuana that I identified in my last letter to the editor. Some are head on confrontations. This group of proponents can clearly be identified as profiteers.
How can we identify the various kinds of stakeholders, those who stand to lose if we pass Measure B? The profiling is rather easy.
1. We will not actually hear from the legitimate medical marijuana user that has a medical illness. They have a legitimate medical problem and are within the law. Their main concern is to relieve their medical problem. They are not interested in the propagation of an illegal substance for profit.
2. You most likely will not hear from the altruistic person that will advocate for marijuana on the basis that it is helping those who are sick. Their interests are tied to patient care and they realize that patients will receive enough "medicine" to alleviate their problem. However, there may be some profiteers that try to connect themselves with an overly concern about being altruistic. They give themselves away by other things they say.
3. The abuser and user of marijuana has a desire to distance their name from being connected to the thought that they use marijuana. They will conceal their own intents and motives by showing concern that someone else is going to be hurt if we repeal Measure G by passing Measure B. They will show concern that mom and pop growers are going to be harmed if we repeal Measure G. This group of stakeholders may also state that those who require marijuana for medical purposes will be harmed. The prime thing to look for is their disguised overt care that someone else is going to be harmed.
4. The profiteer, those who are growers and dealers will also use the thinking exhibited above, but in addition they will complain that their God given rights are being violated. They have a right to grow marijuana. They do not mention or talk about selling. They will also advocate that limiting the amount they can grow is harmful. Who is it that wants to smoke 50 pounds per year? What critical thinker that knows that it is injurious to your health will want to inhale one puff? Marijuana usage over long term is injurious to your health and there is a price to be paid. The taxpayer will also eventually pay a high cost. The profiteer will also complain that the economy of the county will be harmed.
The reason that a medical doctor will give a recommendation to use marijuana is to promote some quality of life for those that require its use. The original intent was that it be used for serious medical illnesses like cancer and AIDS, also any other life threatening illnesses that would benefit from its use. Doctors knew that the use of marijuana would most likely be short term and that the patient would most likely succumb to their illness. Why not give these kinds of patients a break and help ease their suffering? Marijuana never had an original intent to treat minor aches and pains. It was never intended to be long term. Because of this failing of Prop. 215, the whole thing should be revisited and reassessed. Prop. 215 needs an overhaul and modification to spell out how marijuana is to be used if marijuana is to be used as a medicine. It is currently out of control. If you go into a pharmacy, everything sold as a medicine, even the non prescription, is controlled and there are directions on how to safely use the product. Marijuana usage as a medicine has no controls. I feel we should repeal Measure G, then lobby our legislature to seek medical guidance and write responsible laws to govern the use of marijuana if it is to be used as a medicine.
Responsible citizens, those of you that have your sanity, help us to stem the ongoing crisis.
James Cruise
Redwood Valley
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