Pubdate: Sun, 11 May 2014
Source: Chico Enterprise-Record (CA)
Copyright: 2014 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: Don Walker
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v14/n393/a04.html

CITIZENS SHOULD RISE UP, BAN ALL MARIJUANA GROWING

A petition to stop pot growing regulation? Let's start a petition to 
ban all pot growing in Butte County.

Letter writer Chris Short unintentionally makes a great case why we 
should ban pot growing by individuals. What should be done, like the 
liquor industry, would be licensed, controlled (preferably indoor) 
grow areas. I don't have any problem with people smoking pot indoors 
for either medical or recreational needs.

Herein lays the problem. Chris sounds like a responsible person, but 
look at her/his own words. "Yes, there are criminal elements and 
cartels growing huge gardens for profit. Yes there are unruly growers 
with guns and dogs. There are also growers who are good people with 
guns and dogs to protect their property and legal garden from 
criminals who would rather steal than work."

Great, now I have a nice, responsible (albeit stoned) neighbor 
growing legal pot that may draw a criminal element and the possibly a 
gunfight next door. Wonderful.

We had the right motive when we voted to have pot available to people 
who need it, but it simply has not worked. We need to set up a system 
that works for all. Individual grows should be banned simply for the 
reasons stated above. We need controlled licensed grows, preferably 
indoor. We need to organize a petition to end individual pot growing 
and show we are fed up and won't take it anymore.

- - Don Walker, Chico
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom