Pubdate: Tue, 13 May 2014
Source: Chico Enterprise-Record (CA)
Copyright: 2014 Garry Cooper
Contact:  http://www.chicoer.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/861
Note: Letters from newspaper's circulation area receive publishing priority
Author: Garry Cooper

COUNTY MISSES OPPORTUNITY ON LEGALIZED MARIJUANA

Think about this folks.

There are about 4,000 pot gardens in Butte County that average 30
plants apiece with an average yield of about 3 pounds. This is 360,000
pounds that has an average sales price of about $1,300 or $468 million
income to our county. Marijuana, according to the government, is the
No. 1 crop dollar-wise in California. Yet, according to the DEA, 70
percent still comes across the border of Mexico from the cartels.

Marijuana is the alcohol of the current times and the drug war is the
current prohibition that has led to gang expansion and violence to
rural areas like ours, led to a police/prison industry that controls
public policy concerning drug policy, and has led to our society
locking up and branding more of our citizens with felonies than any
other county in the world.

Last year, out of the 4,000 pot gardens, there were 96 complaints to
the county by neighbors, half of which were resolved within days. That
was about a quarter of 1 percent of neighbors and just
four-thousandths of a percent of our county's population.

Water-wise, every pot garden in our county combined for the entire
season uses about what one large agricultural well puts out in about
45 days.

When the election comes, if you own a business or enjoy having your
favorite sushi bar, electronics store, or other establishment in
existence, realize that often you are being fed propaganda by those
with a vested interest in the drug war.

- - Garry Cooper, Durham  
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D