I was extremely disappointed to hear that our Planning Commission, in spite of the staff recommendation, voted to recommend opening another “medical marijuana” dispensary in Malibu. The disappointment comes not only from the recommendation, but from who made it – two senior former city council members, and one long time community activist, all of whom I believe have the interests of the community at heart. What could they have been thinking?
From the data that we, the public, have received, one of the two “dispensaries” has 1,000 clients. That leads me to believe that between the two of them, we have 2,000 marijuana users in Malibu. Can anyone rightly believe that 15% of our 13,000 population has a serious, long-term ailment so painful that we must encourage the use of a federally prohibited drug? I think not. Everything that I have read correlates the use of marijuana with the subsequent use of, and addiction to, cocaine and ultimately, heroin. In the June 19 issue of the Malibu Times, Nora Fleming writes that our “city leaders”, apparently not those on the Planning Commission, are looking for solutions to the growing use of prescription drugs, alcohol, marijuana and heroin by Malibu teenagers. The connection appears clear to me. Putting pot in 2,000 Malibu homes makes harmful, addictive and illegal drugs readily available to the intended users, but also to thousands more household members.
It is always the best course of action to do the “right thing” and, in this case, that is to not only recommend against expanding the number of dispensaries from two to three, but to eliminate the first two. If there were a bona fide need, such a person can easily go to a pot shop in another city. When this issue comes before the city council, please do the right thing.
Bonnie Schulze
Erwin “Dutch” Schulze