Pubdate: Mon, 06 Jun 2016
Source: Star Democrat (Easton, MD)
Copyright: 2016 The Star Democrat
Contact: https://stardem-dot-com.bloxcms.com/site/forms/online_services/letter/
Website: http://www.stardem.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1233
Note: Reprinted From the Colorado Springs Gazette Distributed by Creators.Com

BIG MARIJUANA'S 'WAR ON THE POOR'

Big Tobacco takes a disproportionate toll on the working class and 
the poor, but thrives on an image of upscale glamour. Expect more of 
the same from Big Marijuana.

Media have glamorized the drug since Colorado legalized it for 
recreational use, but a new story by Politico highlights what seems 
obvious to anyone in Colorado's most economically challenged 
neighborhoods. The headline sums it up: "The Marijuana Industry's War 
on the Poor: Denver's booming pot industry may be trendy, but it's 
giving poorer neighborhoods a headache."

The headache is literal and figurative. The stench of pot is so 
pungent in some struggling neighborhoods it causes genuine headaches. 
In a figurative sense, the marijuana gold rush is causing an array of 
grievances no more welcome than a migraine.

North Denver's Elyria-Swansea neighborhood hosts one marijuana 
business for every 91 residents. In addition to smelling up the 
place, the businesses are in the way of economic development and opportunity.

"We have people who have tried to start businesses, and they weren't 
able to lease the spaces because the marijuana industry came in and 
could make a higher offer - and do it instantly," explained a 
neighborhood activist at a conference in April, as quoted by 
Politico. "We've borne the burden of the state and city's growth at 
the cost of our residents."

Residents of Northeast Park Hill and Globeville neighborhoods express 
similar concerns.

Drew Dutcher, an architect and activist in an area inundated with pot 
businesses, told Politico the industry's negative consequences may 
undermine a slate of neighborhood plans that were intended to improve 
the quality of life.

The smell of pot has become so intense, the story explains, it often 
overpowers the odor of north Denver's notoriously smelly pet-food factory.

"When you can't smell Purina, it's the 'headache' marijuana smell 
that gets you more than anything," said Albus Brooks, the city 
councilman who represents Elyria-Swansea and Globeville.

Even those driving through on the freeway are familiar with the odor.

"Drivers whizzing by on Interstate 70 catch a heady whiff of Denver's 
hottest new product as they zip across town," the magazine explains. 
"But they don't live here."

The article is more a defense of the working class than an attack on 
Big Tobacco 2.0. It quotes Sam Mendez, executive director of the 
Cannabis Law and Policy Project at the University of Washington 
School of Law, who spent years representing marijuana businesses as a 
private-practice attorney.

"Within his office, some consider Colorado - and Denver - a 
cautionary tale most places would be foolish to follow," the article explains.

"I don't think this industry should move too quickly," Mendez told 
the magazine. "If you do, there's potential for backlash, and this 
whole grand experiment could fail."

Translation: Move gradually so few will detect overnight change, such 
as the absurd onslaught of north-Denver pot shops. As explained in 
countless sermons, a frog boiled fast will leap from the pot. Heat 
the water slow, and the frog won't notice in time.

Big Marijuana could falter by overly burdening communities with too 
much aggression. It will succeed, patiently and insidiously, by 
presenting its products as harmless, progressive and cool, much like 
Big Tobacco pushed cigarettes.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom