WHO IS MINDING THE CHILDREN?

Children merit every diligent consideration and care we can provide
them. One of the most important concerns in the current debate about
marijuana should be in regard to the health, safety and welfare of the
children in this community.

Despite the importance children should take in this controversy, I
barely hear it discussed at all. There is a lot of talk about the
rights of medical marijuana users, but what about the rights of the
children we are raising here?

Before we cast our votes on Measure B, each of us should answer this
question in our hearts: What effect does the rampant growth of the
marijuana industry have on children in our community?

I retired from teaching in 2005. My career in this county spanned more
than 20 years, mainly at the middle and high school levels, both
before and after passage of Measure G. A few of my experiences may
interest you.

Example 1. It is a graduation requirement at Willits High that the
student put together a writing portfolio that includes an essay on a
controversial issue. Many choose issues like gun control or racism.
But in 2002 (maybe it was 2003), all the boys but one in my English
class chose "medical marijuana" as their topic. Each wanted to get his
"card" as soon as he turned 18.

These boys wrote glowingly about their plans to grow marijuana so they
could pay bills, purchase big trucks and have money for trips. (There
was no mention of paying taxes.)

In the wake of Measure G's passage, it was clear
commercial marijuana growing had become the dominant vocational goal
of this group.

I recently looked through a supplement in The Willits News about
businesses in town that gave the names of employees. Two or three
years after their graduation, not a single one of these students was
listed as an employee of a legitimate business in this community.

What are these guys doing today? What message did we send them when we
passed Measure G?

Example 2. A former student of mine, who got most of her credits at
another school, badly wanted to graduate from Willits High School. She
showed up toward the beginning of her senior year with a mixed-bag of
credits and determination to graduate with her class. Her counselors,
teachers and the administration bent over backwards to help her.

But in October the student told us she had to leave town with her
mother for a week, and asked us to make up an "independent study"
packet so she would not lose ground. We told her it would be best not
to take off the week, but she said she had to go.

Upon her return she had little to say about the trip. A few days
later, she admitted to a staff member that she had not left town at
all; her mom's crop had come in and she was needed at home to trim the
dope. Who came first, the crop or the student?

Example 3. Another student, whose mother had an indoor grow, related
the information on how her mother would line her and her siblings up
in the morning before school and spray them with Febreze so they
wouldn't go to school smelling like ripe marijuana. Was the mothers
concern for her children or her crop?

Example 4. My last story did not happen at school but at a local
health food store. I was picking out produce near the register when
an obviously pregnant woman came in. She approached a clerk wanting to
know if the store had a product that would protect her fetus from the
marijuana oils she was absorbing through her skin. "You see," she
said, "I am working as a trimmer and am worried about the effect the
oils may have on my baby."

Children do not get to pick their parents or their community. It is
our responsibility as adults to secure the next generation with the
best head start we have to offer. Mendocino County used to be an
absolutely awesome place to grow up. Unfortunately, I have only to
look around me to realize that is no longer the case: Houses
surrounded by six foot fences. Guard dogs now the dogs of choice. The
ability to walk in the woods no longer an option. Trucks loaded with
various grow chemicals.

When casting your ballot I hope you think about the children who will
be growing up here. I think that humankind owes the child the very
best it has to give. What is our best in Mendocino County? If you
know a teacher or someone who works with kids, ask that person about
the societal effects Measure G has had on our county.

Please think about the children when you cast your vote on Measure B
on June 3.