Regarding Aaryn Belfer's Oct. 29 "Backwards & in High Heels" column about Prop. F in Encinitas and marijuana dispensaries: It's been 18 years since California voters approved medical marijuana. That California legislators are only now getting around to regulating medical marijuana is absurd. They missed the boat. Restricting access at this point is a gift to Mexican drug cartels. It's time to catch up with Colorado and fully legalize it. If the goal of marijuana prohibition is to subsidize violent drug cartels, prohibition is a grand success. The drug war distorts supply-and-demand dynamics so that big money grows on little trees. [continues 90 words]
Let's Move This Time Machine to 2014, Shall We? I suffer from election fatigue, thanks to the constant barrage of campaigning, the devious tactics of politicians and signature-gatherers, the endless pamphleting, the calls asking for money. (Please, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee: Quit asking me to help Al Franken. The answer will always be no, unless the all-powerful electeds want to pay for my kid's college education, which means properly funding our public schools so they can properly educate kids in the first place.) [continues 900 words]
Draft ordinance could effectively ban pot dispensaries in some San Diego districts By Joshua Emerson Smith newsThe number of allowable cannabis dispensaries in each council district under a draft ordinance, according to a SANDAG mapping study - Illustration by Lindsey Voltoline Imagine if the city shut down all the corner drug stores and allowed them to open in only a few neighborhoods. Then imagine you're sick and rely on public transportation. Soon this may not be far from reality for medical-cannabis patients in San Diego, according to a mapping study done by the San Diego County Association of Governments and obtained by CityBeat. [continues 1148 words]
Proposed local medical-marijuana initiative isn't a joint effort The medical-marijuana-themed hospitality suite at California's Democratic State Convention last weekend was kicking-a DJ, movies, a gallery show of Chicano Park artists and a flowing contingency of prominent Democrats. The suite was sponsored by the Patient Care Association (PCA), a growing organization of collective and dispensary operators that serves as a chamber of commerce for San Diego's medical-marijuana industry. The PCA partnered with Assemblymember Tom Ammiano and the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union to bring in Democratic power brokers: Speaker of the Assembly John Perez made an appearance, as did San Diego County Democratic Party Chairman Jess Durfee and executive director Ryan Hurd. Altogether, it was a celebration that received an unusual amount of establishment support considering the medicalmarijuana movement's history of operating on the fringe. [continues 1136 words]
Membership Agreements Favor the Pot Dispensary Over Personal Privacy Patient X decides to pursue the simplest path to obtaining medical marijuana. He visits the office of a doctor who specializes in medical-marijuana evaluations. If Patient X can articulate why marijuana would help alleviate his condition, the doctor issues what's essentially a prescription: a one-page "recommendation." It costs maybe $30 or $40, depending on whether Patient X has a coupon. Patient X uses an iPhone app to locate the closest collective. In the lobby, he fills out a few pages of paperwork and hands over his recommendation and California-issued photo ID (e.g. driver's license) to be photocopied or scanned. Once his recommendation is verified, Patient X is allowed to join the collective as a private member and access the part of the dispensary where he can purchase marijuana. The whole process can take less than an hour. [continues 1933 words]
Shutting Down Medi-Pot Shops Won't Be Easy-Just Ask Up North "You politicians have got to look further ahead; you always got a putter in your hands, when you ought to have a driver." -Will Rogers When it comes to the electrified debate over how to deal with medical marijuana, the city of San Diego is traveling down a treacherous-and potentially expensive-road pockmarked with legal challenges and a vetting by the state Coastal Commission. In a decision portrayed by medi-pot advocates as decidedly anti-patient and access-unfriendly, the San Diego City Council last week approved strict new land-use regulations for dispensaries and collectives that require a total citywide shutdown while operators-corralled into a smattering of industrial zones-traverse what will likely be a serpentine permitting process. [continues 908 words]
Of course we're endorsing Prop. 19, the ballot initiative to legalize marijuana and allow local governments to tax it. We believe that it'll boost California's economy, create new jobs and ease the budget crisis. We believe that it will strike a blow to cartels and lift a significant burden from our overtaxed justice system. And, yes, we also disclose that legalization will a) help CityBeat's bottom line-and consequently allow us to serve you better-and b) make our nights and weekends way more fun. For those who value personal liberty, yes on 19 is the only moral vote. [continues 87 words]
About your Sept. 22 editorial regarding San Diego's medicinal-pot regulation: Not only should medical marijuana be made available to patients in need, but, also, adult recreational use should be regulated. Drug policies modeled after alcohol prohibition have given rise to a youth-oriented black market. Illegal drug dealers don't ID for age, but they do recruit minors immune to adult sentences. So much for protecting the children. Throwing more money at the problem is no solution. Attempts to limit the supply of illegal drugs while demand remains constant only increase the profitability of drug trafficking. [continues 96 words]
Thanks for an excellent editorial on the PIO (paranoia-induced overkill) mental illness problem currently plaguing local government [Sept. 22]. I propose that PIO-Joes be called exactly that, after the Spanish word "piojos" (fleas). Anybody got a good insect repellent? As for medicinal pot, the latest studies confirm that most child-molesting, anarchist, gunhappy dope fiends hang out near traffic signals. So, we need to prohibit dope sales and other sources of child prostitution within 1,500 feet of any traffic signal, to prevent these sadistic criminals from raping our children. And, it is now time to buy real estate for marijuana distribution at the closest legal spot to sell it: The planet Mars. Anybody got that telephone Area Code handy? Hold on! The city Department of Paranoia and Real Estate Development just said that it wouldn't mind dispensaries closer than that. Antarctica-is that a street or a neighborhood? Maybe we can have the homeless reservation there, too. They do lock them into their cells at night, don't they? John Kitchin, Homeless [end]
San Diego CityBeat pointed out some of the ridiculousness of banning medical cannabis (marijuana) dispensaries [Editorial," Sept. 22] within a certain distance of various buildings. The one that strikes me as ridiculous, though wasn't mentioned, is places of worship. Why would a place of worship, which is often a Christian church, be opposed to medical-cannabis dispensaries or cannabis in general? Christ God Our Father indicates He created all the seed-bearing plants, saying they're all good on literally the very first page of the Bible. And I'd like to answer that. [continues 77 words]
What Can Be Done to Stop This Awful Condition? This week, we'd like to talk about a serious condition known as "paranoia-induced overkill" (PIO). That's when, for example, a politician might exploit public fears to score political points with the electorate, like, say, when Jessica's Law was passed, including an overkill provision: Convicted sex offenders can't live with 2,000 feet of schools and parks. That restricted where people could live so severely that it's led to widespread homelessness among sex offenders--homelessness creates instability, which contributes to bad behavior, which endangers the public. [continues 654 words]
Have you ever looked at California's bong law? Have you ever really looked at it? Selling glass pipes and water bongs is perfectly legal in the state, so long as their intended use is for smoking tobacco and not pot. That difference in intent may seem like a fine line, but it can mean the difference between making a buck and being totally screwed. Just ask the owners of the seven East County smoke shops whose businesses were raided last week by police and sheriff's deputies. [continues 484 words]
I was listening to Roger Hedgecock bash Mexico again the other day. He was focusing on how dangerous it is for tourists and never once did he link the violence between the cartels there with the demand for illegal drugs here. Not only is our neighbor's house on fire ["Political Lunacy," Feb. 6], but with our insane "war" on drugs, we're pouring gasoline on the hot spots. Anne Wayman, National City [end]
I read the article on the politics of addiction ["Cover Story," Jan. 30] that was devoted primarily to the controversy surrounding the use or lack of use of methadone in San Diego. Heroin and similar drugs, collectively called "opioids," are the second most extensively studied drugs after alcohol. Unlike alcohol or drugs like cocaine and methamphetamines, opioids selectively bind with specific neurons in the brain called the "opiate receptors" and cause both beneficial effects like pain relief and also addiction. Thanks to this knowledge, we have three distinct medications to treat opioid addictions--more than any other addictive drug except alcohol. The first and the most extensively used medication, and also the most controversial, is methadone, which binds with the opiate receptors, causing complete activation, but not to the same extent as heroin, thus breaking the cycle of withdrawal and cravings. The second medication is buprenorphine, better known by the trade name Suboxone. Buprenorphine binds with the opiate receptors, causing only partial activation. The third is naltrexone, which binds with the opiate receptor and prevents any activation. [continues 162 words]
Methadone Is the 'Gold Standard' For Getting Addicts Off Heroin--Just Not in San Diego County No one's quite sure how addiction works--why among a group of friends who share a few lines of coke or a balloon of heroin at a party, one becomes an addict and the other nine never pass the point of being recreational users. Or why one person can toss out a bottle of leftover Vicodin once he's recovered from his back sprain while another finds himself doctor shopping for prescriptions, unable to function without more and more pills. Genetics and environment play a role, though there are always exceptions to the rule. [continues 4524 words]
I am a neighborhood watch block captain and one of the organizers of North Park's protest of smoke shops selling illegal drug paraphernalia ["The Front Lines," Nov. 28]. Within a one-block radius of a cluster of three smoke shops in North Park, our neighborhood watch group has witnessed with their own eyes drug use, drug deals and drug holdups. On many nights in this area, one can find drug users getting high, often hiding behind dumpsters, and drug dealers walking around with drug laden knapsacks. That's why we have been protesting these shops. We appreciate the work of the Drug Abatement Response Team and the city attorney to enforce the law and to protect our children from this criminal element. Jeff Stebbins, North Park Neighborhood Watch [end]
An Open Letter to Mike Agguirre and the Morality Police "We made a decision we're going after every single shop that sells drug paraphernalia." -City Attorney Mike Aguirre, CityBeat, Nov. 28, 2007 Dear Mike Aguirre: Are you nuts? Do you really believe that anybody will stop doing drugs if you shut down the paraphernalia suppliers? We druggies are highly resourceful. Pot smokers can carve apples into elaborate smoking devices with a nail file they fabricate from possum bones when necessary. Your typical tweaker can comb an eight-ball out of the carpet with a pair of chopsticks. These are imaginative people, sir-they will not be forestalled. [continues 948 words]
I was so excited to see that article on Oliver Hamilton and the Prop. 36 issue ["The Front Lines," Aug. 15] that I had to write. I have also been fortunate enough to meet Mr. Hamilton. He's been an inspiration for me as well, so much so that after meeting him in Sacramento at the last Prop. 36 rally, I started a MySpace group (groups.myspace.com/ prop36grads) hoping to attract other grads and to give back, providing some great forums, bulletin topics, and pictures that any member can freely post. [continues 98 words]
Man, oh man, am I aggravated to all-Hell. It's been almost a month now and I haven't been able to replenish my pot supply. I know the reason, too. It's the goddamned Border Patrol. They've been doing a kick-ass job lately over there at the San Ysidro crossing. Every time you turn around, there's another story about another huge bust. A couple of weeks ago, I read a U-T story reporting that agents at the San Ysidro and El Centro borders collectively nabbed 10,000 pounds of pot in one week, and because of busts like this, I can't get my goddamned hands on any goddamned Mexican weed. [continues 971 words]
A war on 'war' In response to Tony Phillips' commentary "A war worth winning" ["Because I Said So," Dec. 20], the essence of his article is noble, but his call to action is inappropriate. The choice to use the war metaphor is naive and in bad taste. Liberal commentators know that wars cause death, suffering, destruction and numerous other negative consequences--even when the term war is used as a metaphor. I find it odd that Phillips referenced a slue of wars that have not obtained their objectives--"the war on terror," "the drug war," wars on aggression, imperialism, totalitarianism and ethnic cleansing. He even made a reference to the Vietnam War. None of these wars has been ultimately successful. The war on terror is unwinnable and has been credited for creating more terrorism. The drug war is a failure; it has caused more harm than good. As many progressive thinkers have noted, it is not a war on drugs but a war on people. War has not rid the world of aggression, imperialism, totalitarianism or ethnic cleansing. [continues 424 words]
