Patch Parent Council Takes on Medical Marijuana

The Question

Do you think allowing medical marijuana to be grown and sold in San Leandro would have a negative impact on local kids? 

Patch Parent Council Responds

Benny Lee: I don't think that medical marijuana has its place in San Leandro or anyplace else.

It's true that there are those few who can deal with drugs and alcohol without any radical impairment to their lives, but those few already have their lives structured and balanced well enough with continuity. Kids don't have the structure or balance just yet; otherwise, they'd be fully living on their own and not relying on their parents or others.

Making medical marijuana available places the wrong message for kids as it's an invitation towards a temptation that can go awry. We've got some kids smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol simply because it's not wrong for adults and we've got fewer kids from that mix that use marijuana —allowing medical marijuana will bring the level to be in par with smoking and drinking alcohol.

Pretty much all of my friends and colleagues in my age group who smoke or drink alcohol excessively started when they were kids — no matter how many programs and medicines they tried, they simply can't quit.

While there are those who can structure themselves well enough to not be dominated by these temptations, there will be those who will be consumed by it to the detriment of their lives. I speak in the interest of protecting those who may have their lives deterred from negative afflictions. 

Leah Hall: I am not sure. Common sense tells me that the criminalization of marijuana and other more dangerous drugs has largely been a failure in our country. Availability has not declined and a black market manufacture and distribution system has flourished.

In my own relatively affluent urban neighborhood, I have witnessed individuals who appear to be teenagers or young adults selling drugs on our block. There has also been a gang-suspected shooting near where we live, though luckily no one was hurt.

In my personal experience, I have several friends and relatives who live in neighboring southwestern states whose families have been ravaged by illegal drugs. A cousin and her husband died of a drug overdose; a family friend's son drove his father and sister into bankruptcy because he stole from the family business to support a drug habit; a second cousin who is a teenager ran away from home and became addicted to heroin after moving in with a boyfriend who was also a drug dealer; the list goes on.  

I would be willing to support changes in our drug laws on medical marijuana if the federal government first made it legal for states to pass such laws and strong rules and enforcement were in place to safeguard minors.

Lee Thomas: I can’t accept the use of illegal marijuana being grown, sold or used for medical use. Therefore I can’t support the use of marijuana being sold and grown in a city such as San Leandro, where I chose to raise a family.

As a parent my job is to raise my children in the most positive environment and be a role model. I have this same kind of expectation for the city I live in as well. Growing and selling marijuana in San Leandro would ruin this expectation and create a negative impact for me and my kids.

Parents fight an uphill battle in society trying to keep their children safe from negative impacts until they are capable of making the right decisions themselves. Raising them in a city that grows and sells marijuana only makes this battle more difficult. I know that I can’t shelter my kids forever and one day they might experiment with marijuana, but for now, let me and the city I live in be positive role models for their future.

Dawn Valadez: The war on drugs has failed and continues to cost the American public millions if not billions of dollars. Hundreds of thousands of lives in the U.S. and around the world have been lost — and continue to be lost — in a social war that never had realistic goals.

Whether or not San Leandro has a medical marijuana dispensary or growers will make absolutely no difference to whether or not our children will try pot or other drugs. There is no scientific evidence that having a dispensary will increase usage or violence in our community. The evidence does point to increased revenue for cash-strapped communities, and increased security.

Last week I went to the funeral of a dear friend who died of stomach cancer. The medical marijuana he used eased his suffering, allowed him to eat his favorite foods with his family during his last days and gave him pain management and peace.

I have worked with and know many people who have chronic illnesses, such as wasting syndrome, immune system disorders and other life-threatening illnesses, and medical marijuana has allowed them to live normal, pain-managed lives. This herb is a natural remedy for many common ailments.

Do people abuse marijuana? Yes, they also abuse alcohol, tobacco, sugar, prescription drugs and other controlled and not controlled substances.  

Do I think that addiction is a problem devastating our communities? Yes. I have witnessed that with my own eyes in my family and with the families I have served as a social worker.

Do I think that more funds need to be allocated to realistic prevention programs and harm reduction interventions? Absolutely!  

I know that when people begin to talk openly about drugs, alcohol, other substances and addictions, they can start to get the support they need in whatever form that takes (minus the Charlie Sheen rhetoric). We can look at the issues realistically, then we can actually address the core problems — self-esteem, self-love, poverty, oppression, access to a meaningful education and great work, etc. Drug and alcohol abuse is a symptom of deeper problems.

I admit, I inhaled in the '80s when I was a college student. I never liked pot and don't smoke it now. My son has a great button: "Are you stoned or just stupid?" and a saying around our house is, "Yhey call it dope for a reason."

Fortunately, or due to the many hours of conversations my son has had with his father and me, he is not using drugs or alcohol. Do I worry that he will one day? Yes. Do I think having a dispensary or growers in town will make that easier for him? No. I do believe the revenue that could come to our city could pay for the needed prevention, intervention, and security we need to deal with the real problems our kids face.