Pubdate: Thu, 21 Feb 2013
Source: Chico Enterprise-Record (CA)
Copyright: 2013 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: Kelly Meagher

NONSENSE FLIES AT MARIJUANA MEETING

There have been a number of bizarre hearings over medical marijuana 
and the Feb. 12 Board of Supervisors meeting was no different. 
Usually, the strange behavior and wild claims are made by the pro-pot 
folks. This time, that behavior came from two elected officials.

One, a supervisor, claimed that he has talked to many people who are 
afraid to speak out due to fear of evil neighbor growers. He even 
included an anonymous letter from a family in his motion to kill the 
pot law. In over 30 years of public hearings, I have never seen a 
motion with an anonymous letter included. (His motion died for lack 
of support.)

Excuse me, these people are afraid? We are the ones who go to jail, 
have our banks accounts confiscated, our property seized, and our 
children taken from us. We are not afraid; we gathered thousands of 
signatures to force an election that we won last June.

Not to be outdone, another elected official said the reason we won 
was because the wording on the ballot was confusing. The 
aforementioned supervisor agreed wholeheartedly. Insulting the 
intelligence of the voters is never a good thing, especially by 
elected officials.

I don't know how the supervisors will vote on Tuesday, but I do know 
two things. One is that we must end this needless and unwinnable war 
on drugs. The other is that we have history and the people on our side.

- - Kelly Meagher, Chico
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom