The Politics of Pot:

CHICO MARIJUANA DISPENSARY OPPONENTS FEAR FOR CITY'S SAFETY

CHICO -- Chico Police Chief Mike Maloney will not argue that
medicinal marijuana has a place in society. He just doesn't believe
that place needs to be a storefront dispensary in the city of Chico.

Maloney is a two-time cancer survivor and though he says he has never
used the drug, he credits marijuana with having medicinal merits.

But with a 35-year career in law enforcement, Maloney also sees the
ill effects of marijuana on a daily basis and fears for the community
should a dispensary be allowed to set up shop.

"What will that do to the quality of life?" Maloney said. "There is
the potential for crime. To believe that wouldn't happen is naive, just naive."

Though other cities in the state, such as Redding, have provided a
space for dispensaries, Chico is only now beginning to craft
regulations for the outfits.

Maloney and others in law enforcement don't see a need for those
regulations, however. They would rather see the operations banned altogether.

"Why do we need a storefront?" asked District Attorney Mike Ramsey.
"Why not just keep growing in people's houses?"

Maloney said there are no specialized stores for any other medicine
and one for marijuana is simply not needed.

"I take Lipitor for a cholesterol problem," Maloney said. "I don't go
to a Lipitor store to get it."

The argument for dispensaries focuses on the need for safe and
affordable access to medicinal marijuana.

But Ramsey and Maloney argue that the safety of a community is
compromised when cannabis is provided in a storefront operation.

Both say they have a seen a rise in marijuana-related crime since
Proposition 215 was enacted and said it is only logical to assume
that crime will increase if there is greater access to marijuana,
regardless of its use for medicine.

Ramsey said he has seen an increase in the number of people driving
under the influence of marijuana, while Maloney is more concerned
over the number of home-invasion robberies associated with marijuana grows.

"In 2009, we saw our highest year in history for robberies," Maloney
said. "A portion of these are related to marijuana. It is very much a
concern of ours. These robberies are in people's homes and backyards.
They are using guns and stabbing people."

The Chico Police Department could not provide an exact figure for
robberies associated with marijuana. However, numbers are available
for the amount of arrests made for marijuana-related crimes.

The statistics show a staggering surge in the number of arrests over
the past five years.

In 2005, just seven individuals were arrested for marijuana-related
crimes, which could range from possession of the drug to selling it.
In 2009, the police department reported 80 arrests.

Even more alarming, however, is the number of juvenile arrests
relating to marijuana.

From April 2005 to April 2010, 325 juveniles were arrested on
suspicion of marijuana-related crimes.

In 2009 alone, 71 juveniles were arrested.

These trends demonstrate to Maloney a propensity for a culture of
youth addiction, something Chico resident Carl Ochsner fears as well.

Ochsner, 62, grew up in an era when recreational marijuana use was
commonplace and a viable drug to "have fun with," he said.

But over the years, Ochsner has personally experienced the tragedy
marijuana use and addiction can cause.

Ochsner said marijuana destroyed the lives of two of his brothers --
one of whom he said is now "Dumpster-diving" in Los Angeles -- and
held a strong power over his eldest daughter, who began using
marijuana in high school.

In 2000, Ochsner moved his family to Chico from Humboldt County,
partly due to the infiltration of marijuana into almost every inch of
society there.

"There was no place you could turn where the influence of this
nefarious drug wasn't rearing its ugly head," Ochsner said.

But now that he's here, Ochsner isn't so sure he wants to stay,
especially if the Chico community begins to resemble the place he left behind.

"I think where Humboldt County is, is where Butte County is going to
be in a few years if we do not allow these shadows to go
unchallenged," Ochsner said.

Ochsner said allowing for dispensaries is in essence paving the way
for pot to be accepted into society.

And knowing the dangers of the drug all too well, Ochsner said that
isn't a shift he supports.

"I think it pushes pot into the mainstream," Ochsner said. "It moves
us in the wrong direction."

He said a place that supports pot could push out families and
professionals who now call Chico home, saying he has considered
moving out of town or out of the state to escape the culture that
surrounds drug use and abuse.

"That's not where I want my granddaughter to live," Ochsner said.

Ochsner said rather than allow for dispensaries, the public should be
calling for the drug to be regulated by the federal drug
administration, if marijuana truly does hold medicinal value.

"Why should something that has a history of abuse be allowed in
storefronts?" Ochsner asked.

Proponents of dispensaries tend to argue liquor stores and pharmacies
are abundant and dispensaries should be treated no differently than
places that provide alcohol and prescription drugs.

Yet Maloney said we shouldn't be inviting more ills into society,
simply because others already exist.

"You exponentially increase the social costs associated with drugs
and alcohol by welcoming marijuana into a community," Maloney said.
"Why would you want to do that?"

There are certainly cities that have seen negative impacts of
marijuana dispensaries.

In 2009, the California Police Chiefs Association Task Force on
Marijuana Dispensaries released a white paper on the adverse impacts
of dispensaries.

The report attributes dispensaries with bringing robberies, traffic,
noise, money laundering, firearms possession and even murder to a community.

The 2005 slaying of Demarco Lowrey is highlighted in the report, as
just one crime occurring as a result of a dispensary.

Lowrey, 18, allegedly attempted to rob a storefront dispensary in San
Leandro, but the owner fought back.

Lowrey was shot in the stomach during the battle and bled to death.

In Laytonville, in 2005, burglars broke into the home of Les Crane,
the owner of two storefront marijuana dispensaries.

The report states that Crane was shot to death. The six "gun-and
bat-weilding burglars" allegedly stole an unknown sum of money and a
stash of processed marijuana.

Stories like these may be isolated incidents, but they can also be
indicative of a worst-case scenarios for communities that host dispensaries.

Though there is no guarantee that these types of crimes could occur
in Chico, Ramsey and Maloney don't want to take that risk.

Ramsey said he wants to see the Chico City Council vote down any
ordinance that includes provisions for dispensaries, noting that
their refusal to adopt an ordinance would show a unified front
against crime and addiction.

"I would hope the community would say this is something we don't want
to encourage," Ramsey said.

Sunday: Where are we headed when it comes to medicinal and
recreational marijuana use?