MARIJUANA MEASURE SPARKS GROWING CONCERNS

A November ballot measure to legalize marijuana for recreational use
has aroused passions on both sides of the issue and has left some
observers scratching their heads.

The Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act would both allow up to an
ounce of marijuana for adults 21 and over and let individuals grow up
to 25 square feet of plants on their property. The proposal also bans
smoking in public and around minors. Counties and cities, not the
state, would decide whether to tax it or refuse it altogether.

The cities of Buellton and Solvang currently prohibit marijuana
dispensaries. Solvang Mayor Jim Richardson said given that the city
council unanimously banned dispensaries, a new state law won't likely
change the current board's stance on the issue. Should the measure
pass, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors will have another
issue to consider in November as it mulls a proposed ordinance that
will regulate or ban medical marijuana dispensaries in the
unincorporated area of the county.

Although the ballot measure began building momentum before the board
established a 10-month moratorium in February, board members had not
considered it when they voted to extend the temporary ban on
dispensaries, said 3rd District Supervisor Doreen Farr.

"Although we can't assume anything about what the voters will say, I
would think this will probably come up when staff brings back a work
plan to address dispensaries," she said. Santa Barbara residents
James and Kristen Carrera said they don't smoke marijuana but will
vote "yes" in November.

"The fact is, four of five people I know smoke it, and it doesn't
affect them in terms of work or regular daily activities," he said.
"Will this have a negative impact on California? I don't know. But it
will definitely bring money to the state and let law enforcement
focus on serious crimes."

James, a banker, and Kristen, a teacher, are in the majority,
according to a 2009 Field Poll showing 56 percent of Californians in
support of legalizing and taxing marijuana.

"If it's for recreational use, forget it," said Jim O'Dell of
Buellton. "I see real problems with marijuana, especially with the
drug culture. Of course, we have the same problem with alcohol. But I
don't think that's an argument to legalize marijuana."

The measure would expand upon voter-approved Proposition 215, which
legalized marijuana for medicinal purposes. The vote will mark the
second time in nearly 40 years that voters will decide whether to
legalize marijuana. If the measure passes, the Golden State will be
the first in the nation to legalize pot.

Advocates of the latest initiative say legalizing marijuana would be
the panacea for the state's budget problems. They note that revenue
from the sale of marijuana could raise nearly $1.4 billion, save
vital law enforcement resources and free up overcrowded jails.

Statistics from the county Sheriff's Department show that at least 10
percent of the main jail's population consists of inmates
incarcerated for marijuana-related charges. But that figure doesn't
count the number of people with additional charges.

A 30-year grower of cannabis and current operator of Western Gate
Kush in the Valley, whose name is being withheld at his request, said
a ballot measure has been a long time coming for proponents of
legalizing marijuana.

"I was the grower running from helicopters back in the field, when
having any amount of marijuana on you would land you in jail," he
added. "The laws are becoming more reasonable." He lamented that many
people have cast cannabis as a pariah drug, especially when
"prescription pills and alcohol are promoted."

But that doesn't mean he supports the current ballot measure. "I
still have questions about what kind of regulations and guidelines
would be in place to determine where the product comes from, what the
quality of the cannabis is and where it can be purchased," he
explained. "If it passes, I don't know what happens because as it's
written, I can't find anything to sink my teeth into."

According to the initiative, a county or city could establish "a
strictly controlled legal system implemented to oversee and regulate
cultivation, distribution and sales."

He'd support a measure that would enforce high standards for
marijuana cultivation and commercial sale across the state. His
collective has specialists come and do quality-control on his plants
- - checking for pesticides and ensuring that everything is done in a
sanitary environment.

"If you go to Starbucks and buy a croissant, that product comes from
a kitchen inspected by the health department, ensuring that it's
sanitary and that the products are properly packaged," he said.

He also worries that other collectives don't operate scrupulously.
"It seems that the majority operate illegally," he said. "They'll
sell quantities that exceed the state's limit. Many are for-profit
and some sell the product through the back doors.

"Also, many sell popsicles, lollipops, and cookies, all laced with
THC (the active ingredient in marijuana," he continued. "If they
legalize it, there needs to be standards for every collective. I'm a
grower. They should come and inspect my site and see what I'm growing."

While proponents argue that legalizing marijuana would remove demands
from law enforcement, Sheriff Bill Brown contends that it would
create more problems for his department and the community.

He said the marijuana of today is more potent and dangerous than the
pot of yesteryear, and that it is a "gateway" to harder drugs, such
as heroin and cocaine, and crime-causing in its effects.

"I think the last thing we need is another drug made readily
available throughout our community," he told the Journal. "It's
something that is a detriment to society, and we already have enough
problems and misery as a result of alcohol." "Quite the contrary,"
countered Diane Norman, owner of the Miramar Collective in
Summerland. "It's going to go far in curbing the drug trafficking
coming from Mexican cartels, which are ruthless in their methods.

"Marijuana will be safer in terms of use and access and it will be
taxed to help schools and free up law enforcement that would have
more resources to deal with serious crime," she added. Brown said
bringing up drug trafficking is a red herring.

"The reality is that drugs are connected in one way or another to all
crime that we deal with," he stated. "And I think their argument is
tantamount to saying that if someone was illegally selling explosives
in our community, then making explosives legal would eliminate the
problem. The fact is the cure would be far worse than the disease."

Norman said many of her clients have turned to marijuana to get away
from the hard drugs. "I call it the exit drug," she said. Some
critics point to the potential health impacts of marijuana. "Grave
concern is shared regarding the legalizing of yet another substance
that scientific research has already proven to have acute, persistent
and long-term damaging effects on our brains," said Mary Conway,
coordinator for the Santa Ynez Valley Coalition to Promote Drug Free Youth.

She noted that studies show that marijuana increases the risk of
bronchitis and lung cancer, as well as causing short-term impairment
of memory and learning skills. She said marijuana only has
therapeutic potential for serious illnesses, such as terminal cancer and AIDS.

Dr. David Bearman, a Goleta physician widely known for his advocacy
of medical marijuana, has used the drug for years in treating
patients with several conditions, such as arthritis, multiple
sclerosis, fibromyalgia and epileptic seizures. He says that
marijuana remains a remarkably safe substance and lamented that there
is a lot of fear-mongering coming from critics of the drug.

"I've seen everything from people saying it's miraculous and that it
saved their life and others who tried it and said it wasn't
particularly helpful," Bearman noted. "Marijuana may have some
long-term adverse effects, but just about any substance that we
consume may have such effects. And I think the data we have has not
shown significant adverse long-term effects."

"Since so many people are concerned about substance abuse - although
they often confused use with 'abuse' - we should legalize it and use
some of the money spent on incarcerating people on education and
early intervention, as well as counseling for those with
substance-abuse problems," he said.

Chris, a Valley resident and cannabis grower who asked that only his
first name be used, uses marijuana to deal with the pain caused by a
liver ailment. He said doctors prescribed him Percocet, a drug he
called "addiction in a bottle."

He credits medical marijuana for enabling him to return to college.
He's also excited about the prospects that would come if the pot
measure passes.

"We're going to see the connoisseurs stepping out of the shadows and
having a better product through more research," he said, adding that
he predicts 60 to 70 percent of cannabis will go commercial if the
initiative prevails.

Chris currently has 30 5-foot-tall marijuana plants growing in his
backyard. "These are my children," he said, referring to the plants.
"I know them, I know what they're doing." He laments that marijuana
users get a bad rap and believes that will change if the measure
becomes legislation.

"There's a little community. It's made up of principals, teachers,
bankers, just professional people living lives," he said. "People
tend to think of the stoner caricature. Reefer madness. That's not who we are."

Chris said growers are looking to solar energy and biodiesel-fueled
generators - which use grease collected from eateries for energy - to
help their plants grow. "I think the important thing that will come
from this measure is that growers will be legitimized," he said.