Pubdate: Tue, 26 Jul 2011
Source: Chico Enterprise-Record (CA)
Copyright: 2011 Chico Enterprise-Record
Contact:  http://www.chicoer.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/861
Note: Letters from newspaper's circulation area receive publishing priority
Author: Chris Nicodemus

LAW LOSES LEGITIMACY AMID POT PEDDLING

I am not surprised in the least by the comments made by detective 
Doug Patterson on July 21 in your paper regarding the overwhelming 
amount of work his marijuana eradication team is burdened with.

Well-meaning but ill-advised voters passed Proposition 215 years ago 
to aid cancer and glaucoma patients with the pain they suffer. 
Unfortunately, a law that had good intentions has been taken 
advantage of by quack doctors, out to make a buck, who will issue 
marijuana prescriptions for just about any complaint of pain or ailment.

The law and its intent has lost all legitimacy and law-abiding 
citizens of our state are and will be paying for years or decades to 
come for the abuses of a poorly written law. Californians will pay 
for this abomination in many ways, such as the influx of illegals 
ruining our public and private lands to grow their illegal crops and 
then peddle their product to Americans.

Fellow Chicoans, the worst is yet to come. Four City Council members, 
led by Andy Holcombe's championing of the many wonderful uses of 
marijuana, has seen fit to establish two marijuana collectives 
(distribution centers) somewhere in a commercial zone. I can't 
imagine how giddy business owners next to these collectives will be. 
The frivolous four (Holcombe, Walker, Flynn and Gruendl) have voted 
themselves the authority to become grass peddlers in violation of 
federal law. What remains to be seen is how much busier our 
understaffed police department will become.

Chris Nicodemus, Chico
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom