Shame on the city council for approving a marijuana dispensary at Colony Liquor.
Politics seem to have prevailed over safety and common sense in our city. Malibu residents should be very concerned over the approval of a marijuana dispensary called Malibu Community Collective that is soon to be located at the Colony Liquor Store.
Huge opposition by residents was met by a council that seemed to have been coached on approving this permit, even though they had already unanimously denied it months ago. They strangely remanded it back to the planning commission, only to have it brought back to the city council, where three of the formerly opposed council members suddenly decided to change their vote.
This approved a dispensary in what is considered to be one of its most dangerous areas of Malibu, according to the Pacific Coast Highway Traffic Study Report conducted by our own city. Almost 100 collisions have occurred in front of Colony Liquor Store over the past two years, and a pedestrian death right in front of the store occurred this year. As if that wasn’t frightening enough, the permit was approved before the city council actually knew who the applicant was, as it was revealed at the hearing.
What is going on here? Malibu citizens are not against medical marijuana, it is a necessary medicine, but Malibu does not need another dispensary — especially not one in a liquor store in the most dangerous part of Malibu belonging to a group that was previously unanimously denied, and whom we don’t even know the true identity of the applicant. Concerned citizens should write their city council. There were many legal reasons to deny this permit. Why weren’t they taken into consideration?
Bruce Berg