Re “County’s 1st cannabis lounge to open” (Jan. 12): This article refers to the owners being excited to create something “safe.” But “safe” is the failed goal of nearly every pro-pot initiative passed from Proposition 215 (compassionate use) to Proposition 64 (recreational use) to SB 420 (Proposition 15 guidelines) to SB 1186 (deliveries) to AB 1775 (marijuana cafes). These and other regulations have instead contributed to the erosion of community standards of sobriety, not to consumer or public safety. On the contrary, they’ve contributed to an explosion in addiction rates, marijuana-related emergency room admissions, child ingestion, poison control cases and DUIs, while real safety measures like AB 1207 (the Cannabis Candy Child Safety Act) were torpedoed by industry power.
The county’s first cannabis lounge will compromise years of work creating California’s smoke-free air laws without regard for workers’ health, safety and right to breathe clean air. Further questionable is the fact no “safety” plans to ensure DUI enforcement are in place.
— Margaret Walker, Carmel Valley
