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SLO County residents do not want more marijuana shops

October 31, 2023

Helios Dayspring’s ribbon cutting at the NHC Morro Bay retail pot shop

OPINION by JOSEPH R. ROULEAU

The majority of San Luis Obispo Country residents don’t want to expand the sale of marijuana to include dispensaries in the unincorporated area. Marijuana (with the exception of limited medical use) is a dangerous substance and is illegal at the federal level.

It is a gateway to hard drugs. While all marijuana users don’t end up using hard drugs, almost all hard drug users say they started on marijuana. That is an undeniable fact and has been true for decades.

My experience dealing with marijuana users began 54 years ago as a Naval officer where I prepared many administrative discharges on sailors using marijuana.

My 27-years in Federal Law Enforcement as a Special Agent with the IRS Criminal Division involved cases on many drug dealers. I know what I am talking about.

Many businesses fail every year because they sell a product with insufficient demand to generate enough sales to cover the cost of doing business. Why should the liberal majority on the SLO County Board of Supervisors help marijuana dealers stay in business and make a profit selling a dangerous drug when they don’t help other retailers?

It makes no sense, unless there is a nefarious reason, or Is it because the liberal board members are friends of the marijuana dealers?

A few months ago, Supervisor Jimmy Paulding and the other liberal board members were looking to increase taxes on all county residence. The board is now proposing a 25% reduction in the tax on retail marijuana dealers, up to a million dollars in subsidies, easing regulations, and spreading marijuana sales to the unincorporated county area.

The board has just done a complete flip when it comes to taxes, but only for marijuana dealers.

Why is the majority on this board so concerned about excess regulations and cost on failing marijuana dealers that are selling a dangerous drug?  Why is there not concern for the excess regulations, unnecessary delays and costs for other businesses and for citizens just trying to build a home?

The answer is simple. The liberal majority on this board is more interested in helping drug dealers than they are in helping the average, hard-working citizens. The current board majority voted in favor of weakening Proposition 13 protections for taxpayers as opposed to maintaining Proposition 13 safeguards.

If you think marijuana is not harmful, provide it to your airline pilot on your next flight, or your surgeon before your next operation.

What the board majority is proposing is simply a stupid idea, a dangerous idea and an expensive waste of taxpayer’s money. Wake up board members and wake up citizens. Don’t let the board get away with this.

 


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What happened to “FREEDOM”? “Don’t tread on me”? “Government stay out of my business”? I don’t understand how people constantly feel the need to tell others how to live. there was a guy on T.V. last week telling how he’d rather someone become addicted to nicotine than get stoned. Why is it up to him what complete strangers do? Saying America was founded on Tobacco


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Confession: doing surgery and piloting jetliners are my favorite activities after ripping a few bong hits of my favorite weed. And I’m sure I’m not the only one. It’s just part of the stoner lifestyle and fills in gaps when my rocket science gigs slow up.


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Let the market decide. Keep government out of it. Everybody start growing it in their gardens and that could help.


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Damn this author is ignorant. The majority voted. The majority is okay with legal, recreational, cannabis.


Gateway drug? Almost universally people start off with coffee, nicotine, alcohol or prescription pills.


27 years so “I know what I’m taking about.” No you don’t. Go talk to someone in a field that treats addiction. You’re ignorant.


The reduction in taxes is trying to curb the black market and possible tainted weed. Less money to the cartels. I think that’s a good thing. Safer substances and hopefully a boost to local businesses. Hopefully the tax revenue is stable due to new customers.


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LOL this post is filled with so much nonsense that it’s laughable.


This one quote just had my eyes rolling. “My 27-years in Federal Law Enforcement as a Special Agent with the IRS Criminal Division involved cases on many drug dealers. I know what I am talking about.” I am not sure how that gives you any insight into actual clinical or sociological data on the effect of marijuana use. In fact, I suspect it just gave you 27 years of being fed reinforcing propaganda to rationalize the laws you were enforcing and the lives you were ruining.


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Also what kind of mental hoops does one need to jump through to be a conservative Republican concerned about over-regulation and taxes when your ENTIRE career is on the taxpayer dime?


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Uneducated boomer say what? Hire an editor and stop spreading lies!


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From Google Bard (AI):

“Alcohol is more dangerous than marijuana.

This is based on a number of factors, including:



  • Mortality risk: Alcohol is a leading cause of preventable death in the United States, accounting for more than 95,000 deaths per year. Marijuana use has never been linked to a single overdose death.

  • Addiction risk: Alcohol is highly addictive, and chronic use can lead to a number of health problems, including liver disease, heart disease, and cancer. Marijuana use can also be addictive, but the risk is lower than for alcohol.

  • Health risks: Alcohol can have a number of negative effects on the body, including damage to the liver, heart, and brain. Marijuana use can also have some health risks, but these are generally less serious than those associated with alcohol use.

  • Risk of impaired driving: Both alcohol and marijuana can impair driving ability, but alcohol is a more potent intoxicant. Driving under the influence of either substance is dangerous, but it is especially dangerous to drive under the influence of alcohol.”


“It is important to note that both marijuana and alcohol can have negative consequences for some people. For example, marijuana use can worsen anxiety and depression in some people, and alcohol use can lead to violence and other risky behaviors. It is important to be aware of the risks associated with both substances and to use them responsibly.”


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If the pilot smokes some grass before my next flight or my surgeon tokes up before operating on me, as long as they are regular users, I am not trippin. I would only be concerned if they were smokin weed for the 1st time. I agree that we do not need more dispensaries and NHC should be shut down because that Helios Dayspring guy is just awful. I also think that we should not be rescuing the failing legal pot industry. Things were way better when it was just sb 420 and prop 215


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