YES WE CANNABIS? NO, MR. REPRESENTATIVE, HAWAII AND MAUI CAN'T AFFORD POT
SHOPS

The people of Hawaii are compassionate people. When the idea of
medical marijuana was presented, many citizens heard the case made by
medical marijuana proponents that a controlled, legalized method of
distributing marijuana to medical patients who were suffering from
debilitating illnesses was a sane choice and a compassionate
alternative to traditional medicine.

Why would we deny those who are suffering or terminally ill relief
from their hardship?

The reality is that medical marijuana has become nothing more than a
ruse for drug dealing. Take for example what is happening in the state
of California. In San Francisco the number of pot shops selling
marijuana outnumber Starbucks coffee shops 66 to 61. The federal
government has reported that the situation in San Francisco is
completely out of control.

These so-called medical marijuana "patients" line up every day to
purchase their marijuana at their favorite pot shop only to walk out
of the store to sell it to teenagers and other non "patients" who are
eager to purchase. The money is then used to purchase their real drug
of choice - crack or crystal methamphetamine. Entire neighborhoods
have been transformed into drug dens.

Families don't feel safe walking or biking in their communities. Crime
is out of control. I encourage you to watch your favorite cable news
channel to see what's really happening to a community that has fully
embraced medical marijuana and what the ramifications of this law have
caused.

I read with utter disappointment and amazement The Maui News articles
about the recent drug bust "Operation Weed killer" and the
overwhelming support of our state Rep. Joe Bertram III for Brian
Murphy, the alleged kingpin of this drug-dealing operation. Rep.
Bertram not only denounced the police operation but also even
physically stood by Murphy criminal in recent court
proceedings.

Then in a separate Nov. 17 Viewpoint, Rep. Bertram attacked the fine
men and women of the Maui Police Department for doing their job of
removing a major drug operation operating under the guise of a medical
marijuana organization in our community.

He further laid out his plans for decriminalization/sentence reform of
our drug laws in the next legislative session. It appears that if Rep.
Bertram had his way, pot shops would be as common as a neighborhood
convenience stores. What would that do to the very fabric of our
Hawaiian culture? Are you willing to let his experiment play out?

While some may argue that "real" patients have benefited, what has
been the cost? Why have these proponents of medical marijuana ignored
the fact that the active ingredient in marijuana, THC, has been
available in prescription form for many years? Taken as a pill, and
distributed by a licensed professional pharmacist, it provides the
same relief and doesn't require growing a marijuana plant in your
backyard and smoking a joint. I certainly don't want a neighborhood
pot shop in my community and I am certain many of you don't either.

Rep. Bertram needs to reassess his priorities and make them in line to
those of the community, like making sure we get a high school in South
Maui, fixing our failing health care and education system, and coming
up with real solutions to deal with a failing economy and our reduced
state tax revenues.

Rep. Bertram, you were elected to represent all of the people of South
Maui and not just medical marijuana users. Please do the job you were
elected to do. The small minority of drug dealers and users can wait.

George Fontaine is a retired Maui Police Department captain and ran
unsucccessfully against Joe Bertram III for the state House from
District 11, South Maui.