Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/229341
6A Daily News – Tuesday, December 17, 2013 Opinion Problematic pot prohibitions DAILY NEWS RED BLUFF TEHAMA COUNTY T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U NTY S I N C E 1 8 8 5 Greg Stevens, Publisher gstevens@redbluffdailynews.com Chip Thompson, Editor editor@redbluffdailynews.com Editorial policy The Daily News opinion is expressed in the editorial. The opinions expressed in columns, letters and cartoons are those of the authors and artists. Letter policy The Daily News welcomes letters from its readers on timely topics of public interest. All letters must be signed and provide the writer's home street address and home phone number. Anonymous letters, open letters to others, pen names and petition-style letters will not be allowed. Letters should be typed and cannot exceed two double-spaced pages or 500 words. When several letters address the same issue, a cross section of those submitted will be considered for publication. Letters will be edited. 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How to reach us Main office: 527-2151 Classified: 527-2151 Circulation: 527-2151 News tips: 527-2153 Sports: 527-2153 Obituaries: 527-2151 Photo: 527-2153 On the Web www.redbluffdailynews.com Fax Newsroom: 527-9251 Classified: 527-5774 Retail Adv.: 527-5774 Legal Adv.: 527-5774 Business Office: 527-3719 Address 545 Diamond Ave. Red Bluff, CA 96080, or P.O. Box 220 Red Bluff, CA 96080 A new poll by the Field Research Corporation shows that a majority of California voters now support the legalization of marijuana. This is a notable change from 1969, when they first started measuring sentiments on marijuana, when only 13% favored its legalization. The dramatic failure of punitive drug policy to reduce use, potency and crime no doubt contributes to the turnaround, as did recent successful legalization efforts in Colorado and Washington passed last year. Today only 31% of voters want strict enforcement of existing laws or tougher laws to be enacted. A different poll about a proposed 2014 initiative to legalize recreational marijuana in California received even higher support, at 56%. "Marijuana laws ensure a dangerous illegal marketplace and destroy the lives of those convicted under them. And because police are allowed to keep assets seized in raids and federal grants reward drug arrests, they skew law enforcement priorities. We're not solving as many violent crimes now as we did before we started vigorously enforcing these laws. Californians are starting to recognize that and realize how much safer the trade would be if we were able to control and regulate it," said Lieutenant Commander Diane Goldstein (Ret.) of the Redondo Beach Police Department and a board member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, a group of police, DEA officials, customs agents, prosecutors, judges and other law enforcement officials who, after fighting on the front lines of the war on drugs, now advocate for its end. While I can understand the grave concerns of parents and neighbors of marijuana growers and users it is important to realize that making a recreational drug illegal is an ineffective means of controlling access and environmental impacts. Instead substance prohibitions make production and distribution highly profitable crime opportunities that breed contempt for authority and regulation. We will be far better served when the resources wasted fighting and losing the "war on drugs" are allocated to education, rehabilitation, and regulation to ensure that potential drug users are well informed, that those wishing to curb addictive behaviors are provided with rehabilitation services, and effective regulation is in place to ensure that use in limited to informed adults. Provision of medical marijuana in California to patients that benefit from therapeutic effects was a step in the right direction, but fails to control rampant recreational use by those who simply pay for a medical recommendation with questionable or non-existent maladies. Indeed clinics that specialize in providing such recommendation for a fee openly advertise in the Chico News and Review and other regional publications. Any- one that does a bit of research who adulteration, and irresponsible production can thereby is willing to lie about benefit society as we phantom symptoms is come to grips with the certain to obtain such a realities of marijuana recommendation, thereuse and abuse. by fraudulently circumIt is high time (no venting laws that propun intended) for those hibit recreational use. driven by fear and conRegulation of medictempt of the "peace and inal marijuana produclove" movement of the tion is problematic sixties to realize more because of the tremenenlightened efforts to dous profit margins and size of recreation use of Richard better regulate marijuana production, distributhe illicit weed. By tion, and use must be growing indoors with implemented now to high wattage lamps or protect our children, cultivating out of doors our environment, and in remote locations to respect for the rule of avoid detection great law before matters get harm is done to our enviworse. The toll of our ronment by unnecessary power plant pollution, uncon- ineffective existing drug prohibitrolled water and chemical run- tions as measured by the millions off, and personal injury to those that serve or have served time in that enforce or break the law. All prison only to be released and of these adverse consequences profitably continue down that can be effectively mitigated by path cannot be overstated as we decriminalizing marijuana as consider our problematic pot promore objective and reasoned hibitions. public policy initiatives are instiRichard Mazzucchi is a retired tuted. The public policies might research engineer specializing in include the collection of taxes energy efficiency and renewable and fees that regulate legal mari- energy. He has travelled juana growth, and the oversight extensively and now makes his of dispensaries to ensure honest home in Los Molinos, where he is quality grading, weights and striving to manifest a sustainable measures, and distribution only and spiritual lifestyle and operate to qualified adults. Stiff penalties a barbecue equipment and supply and enforcement of laws to help business. He can be reached at prevent distribution to minors, living-green@att.net. Mazzucchi Positive Point Your officials STATE ASSEMBLYMAN — Dan Logue, 150 Amber Grove Drive, Ste. 154, Chico, CA 95928, 530-895-4217 STATE SENATOR — Jim Nielsen, 2635 Forest Ave., Ste. 110, Chico, CA 95928, (530) 879-7424, senator.nielsen@senate.ca.gov GOVERNOR — Jerry Brown, State Capitol Bldg., Sacramento, CA 95814; (916) 445-2841; Fax (916) 558-3160; Email: governor@governor.ca.gov. U.S. REPRESENTATIVE — Doug LaMalfa 506 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515, 202-2253076. U.S. SENATORS — Dianne Feinstein (D), One Post Street, Suite 2450, San Francisco, CA 94104; (415) 393-0707. Fax (415) 393-0710. Barbara Boxer (D), 1700 Montgomery St., Suite 240, San Francisco, CA 94111; (510) 286-8537. Fax (202) 224-0454. Commentary Wisdom, abundance, unions, irony, lie of year Note: Comments on last week's column were thwarted by "Warning: (URL) is unreachable," perplexing even Daily News staff. My sense of the wisdom of our county supervisors is reinforced over their decision to let the voters weigh in on dissolving the ties that bind us to California. My analysis: 1) it is quite a long shot effort, requiring great patience to achieve the goal; 2) it's worth letting the people's voice be heard in the short term. If the State of Jefferson movement takes hold in counties further south (I'm thinking of the vast swaths of so-called "red," or Republican-voting, California), the possibilities and practicalities of scale become far more realistic. Such a state, built around a thriving economy due to a business-friendly regulatory atmosphere, a more restrictive social benefit structure and non-unionized public employees, would have far greater abilities to create abundance for its productive businesses and workers. If accompanied by serious budgetary discipline and relatively lighter tax burdens, the private sector could grow as the public employee/welfare portion shrank. This is not far-fetched by any means. California could, if Sacramento politicians so desired, once again be the "Golden State" of opportunity and economic growth—such are not their priorities because it would require shrinking the public sector/welfare class and growing businesses and the workforce. Which brings me to the current kerfuffle between our teachers union and the high school superintendent, Ms. Escobar. My views against public employees, particularly teachers, unionizing against local officials and the taxpayers they represent, are not surprising. My views will have no bearing on the existence or tactics of the teachers union. That both President Franklin Roosevelt and union pioneer George Meany opposed unionization of public employees should spare me from the unhinged, hateful broadsides such groups seem happy to muster. Were there no teachers union or "association" (the feel-good term they prefer), they might act and respond to changes in standards and performance requirements in ways more appropriate to the term "employee." Such is the proper description of their status, which status I believe they have artificially elevated to that of a quasi-independent interest group of nearsaintly providers of unimpeachable expertise in the art and science of educating our youth. Curiously and counter intuitively, children schooled at home by mere unpaid parents turn out to be as informed and capable as "expertly instructed" public school students, costing to taxpayers $10,000+ per pupil. That these unions use coerced dues to fund campaigns in support or opposition to citizen initiatives and propositions, to harass those same home-school parents and their children, and to oppose the expansion of union-defying charter schools—that all should persuade reasonable people of the inferiority and compromised, even diabolical, motives of the unions. We'll see if school board members like Barbara McIver, bought and paid for by unions (my view), are fair and neutral. Stepping far afield of local concerns, I share with many my opprobrium for President Obama's shameful performance at the Nelson Mandela memorial ser- vice. Obama had no time to attend Obama should be favorably comthe memorial ceremony for a truly pared to Nelson Mandela. He epitomized the recongreat friend of America, ciliation of former Lady Thatcher; however, political enemies while he embarrassed AmeriObama has implecan values by bounding mented the politics of up stairs to give a semiresentment, revenge bow and warm embrace and recrimination of the hand of Cuban dictaught to all of Saul tator (his true title—not Alinksy's communitythe news media concocorganizing acolytes. tion, "president"), Raul "Punish our enemies" Castro. He, his deceased appropriately brother Fidel, and their describes his endless many ruthless commucampaign of demonist, co-tyrants, collecDon nization, persecution tively have the blood of many thousands of Polson and vengeful retribution against those Cubans, as well as The way standing in the way of around 100 million of his now-apparent "funearth's inhabitants, on I see it damental transformatheir ideological, collection" of America's free tive hands. market, capitalist sysA far more appropriate response came from Senator tem. Obamacrats want a topTed Cruz, who walked out on the down, centrally planned economy speech of Raul Castro, inexplica- more akin to Mussolini's fascistbly chosen to address those paying controlled Italy. An older Italian tribute to a tremendous leader of immigrant described in an interSouth Africa. Inexplicable unless view how the fascists in his day you were aware of 1) the enthusi- relied not on violence and physiastic embraces Mandela gave to cal persecution, but rather the such communist tyrants over the inexorable imposition of state years, 2) the fact that the African control which led to a "comply or National Congress was ideologi- economically perish" response by cally communist-oriented, and Italian businesses. Such are the that 3) he tolerated, if not encour- Obama methods now. Obama's "… you can keep aged, some very violent attacks on political opponents and enemies. your health care plan" is the "lie of True, he later set aside recrimina- the year" says PolitiFact. Saying tion and revenge for the greater that Bush based "his whole war cause of uniting South Africa's campaign on something he knew racial partisans, placing his leader- to be false" is truly the worst kind ship distinctly and morally above of lie "anyone could ever make." his ruthless neighbor to the north, Bush "derangement" lives on. Robert Mugabe. My flag's halfDon Polson has called Red Bluff staff tribute was dedicated to the Pearl Harbor remembrance, not a home since 1988. He can be reached by e-mail at tainted foreign figure. donplsn@yahoo.com. I also found it ironic that