Associated Press/San Bernardino Sun Publish Letter to the Editor by Ronald L. Kirkish on Alarming Situation with Santa Cruz Marijuana Laws and Related Crime

Lax marijuana laws do more harm than good

Source:  www.mapnews.com

In his May 12 column, John Weeks decided to take issue with fact that the city of San Bernardino has started to close up all the marijuana dispensaries since the recent California Supreme Court decision that allows cities to ban dispensaries.

I would like Mr. Weeks and readers to see and read the truth about the damage that marijuana does to a community.

Just over a month ago now, two Santa Cruz police detectives were murdered by a mentally deranged individual with a history of a long criminal record. Since these deaths, the Santa Cruz Sentinel has published several articles and an editorial exposing the truth that the city's liberal and progressive policies created a "beacon" drawing drug addicts, criminals, murders, robberies, homeless, and so much more. The statistics show that since Santa Cruz's liberalization of drug policy, its children's abuse of marijuana and other drugs far exceeds that of all other cities all across America.

The citizens of Santa Cruz have had enough and have formed a group named "Take Back Santa Cruz" to fight for their right for a safe and drug-free environment.

Santa Cruz was one of the first cities in America to allow the marijuana dispensaries to openly sell their product. It is also one of the first cities to create an ordinance making marijuana "the lowest of the low" crimes. It would do well for Mr. Weeks to do a little fact-checking into the suffering the city of Santa Cruz is now going through because of its elected officials' liberal policies on drugs. Let Santa Cruz be the model for why one should never to listen to those who would say otherwise.

-- Ronald L. Kirkish, Coalition for a Drug Free California advisory board member

Santa Cruz, California: Progressive Policies on Marijuana Devastate the Community

The City of Santa Cruz is located along the beautiful coast of California, sandwiched in between the cities of Monterey and San Francisco.  It is home to the famous Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and the roller coaster ride, the “Big Dipper”.

Unfortunately, it has also become famous for being a beacon for the ‘Illegal Drug-Culture’, attracting like flies, thousands of ‘Illegal drug’ enthusiasts, including drug addicts, homeless, and mentally ill, from all across America.

Santa Cruz slowly changed from being a tiny coastal fishing village and morphed into a politically progressive city that enthusiastically embraced and nurtured the culture of illegal drugs by being one of the first city’s in America to allow marijuana dispensaries to legally sell their wares within the city limits.  It was also one of the first cities to create an ordinance making crimes associated with marijuana the ‘Lowest of the low” meaning that a person would receive a ticket for not cleaning up his pet dogs feces on public property before giving a ticket to a person smoking marijuana; even if that infraction occurred directly in view of a “Peace Officer”.

As you will see, the results of their elective leader’s progressive attitude on illegal drugs has caused much harm to the citizens of Santa Cruz and now they have formed a citizens group named, “Take Back Santa Cruz”.  The Citizens of Santa Cruz have had enough and are now fighting back.

It was on that fatal day in February, when the City of Santa Cruz had to finally come to grips and recognize that their city had major problems with drugs.  Two of their finest Police Officers/Detectives were murdered by a mentally deranged person with a long history of criminal activity, who had recently moved to the city.  In the history of the City of Santa Cruz, these were the first police officers to be killed in the line of duty.

Since that tragic day, their local and liberal newspaper, “The Santa Cruz Sentinel” has published several condemning articles regarding the issues surrounding the rampant illegal drug activity in their city and the terrible long and short term ramifications it has had on the SCZ community; including their children.  (Sentinel Article 1, Sentinel Article 2)

In summary, the City of Santa Cruz example should be a warning to all of the cities, counties, and states across America for why we should never allow those like NORML, Americans for Safe Access, Drug Policy Alliance, Marijuana Policy Project to convince Americans to allow marijuana to be legal within our communities, whether for the ruse of so-called medical marijuana or for legal recreation use.