Cara Anderson: Stan Garnett, Leave medical marijuana dispensaries alone

An open letter to Stan Garnett:

As you know, many of us were profoundly disappointed in your decision to prosecute Jason Lauve regarding the medical marijuana that he was authorized to use for his pain and disability.  Even after reading your defense of that decision a few weeks ago, I still viewed it as an unwise use of taxpayers’ time and money, when clearly this man was in survival mode, not trying to take advantage of the system.

When I opened the Camera on Sunday and read that you are now seeking “pot law clarity” and are ready to “launch a legal challenge on medical marijuana dispensaries,” I felt a mixture of anger and sadness.  Who is being harmed, in your view, due to Colorado’s law and the way it’s being carried out?  The terrible side effects of many pharmaceutical drugs are well known, and over 100,000 people a year even die from them.  I have a sister-in-law whose health has been destroyed by prescription drugs, and I have begged her repeatedly to get a medical marijuana prescription.  I am proud that our state has made it legal to give patients a better and more natural way to deal with their pain and suffering.

Are you afraid that Colorado’s medical marijuana dispensaries will make it easier for people to get recreational cannabis?  Ask any non- medical marijuana users how hard it is to obtain and they will tell you it’s not hard at all.  Most likely, high school or college students (or adults, for that matter) who use pot recreationally are still getting it from their usual sources, not from a medical marijuana dispensary.  Anyone who has gone to the trouble and expense of opening a dispensary does not want to put his or her business at risk by providing anything but legally sanctioned cannabis.

I have to believe that your issue with medical marijuana has to do with your overall paranoia about cannabis in general; otherwise I can’t understand why you would want to use our precious resources at this time to “challenge the legality of a medical marijuana dispensary or a pot grower in Boulder County.”  How many brawls or deaths have occurred in this town (or any
town) due to cannabis? How much vandalism?  None.  However, we do have a huge alcohol problem here in Boulder due to binge drinking among college students.  If you feel such a need to flex your muscles, apply your brawn to that.  I’m sure the residents living up on the Hill would appreciate your energy being applied to something that IS a problem.

Cara Anderson
Boulder