LEGALIZING MARIJUANA COULD BE AN ECONOMIC BOON FOR COUNTY

We, the patients, board members, owners and providers of the Boulder
Creek Collective, wish to extend a heartfelt thanks to Sentinel
reporter Kurtis Alexander for his interest in this news worthy event
of our times. His article, titled "Rise of pot dispensaries in Santa
Cruz County may prompt new regulation" in the July 27 edition of the
Santa Cruz Sentinel highlights the disparity between Prop .215, Senate
Bill 420 and the state's preparedness for medical marijuana as an actuality.

We further wish to extend our thanks to the supervisors of the county
of Santa Cruz, for allowing the Boulder Creek Collective to operate
and care for its members. While many counties are installing arbitrary
and unrealistic rules in regards to cannabis collectives, we are
grateful for the opportunity to develop unfettered by untested
regulation. Ultimately, the county will find it necessary to regulate
the industry. In the meantime, we are free to develop a safe and
effective collective model. We recognize this opportunity as a
privilege and we hope to honor it appropriately.

There is another issue facing the county. How will the present move
towards legalization effect Santa Cruz County? On an annual basis,
hundreds of millions of dollars in both legal and black market
cannabis is produced in Santa Cruz County. This money is spent in the
county and makes up a vital part of the local economy. As we
inevitably move towards full legalization, plans for commercial
production and distribution are being developed and implemented in
various counties across the state. None of these plans involve Santa
Cruz County.

As we see it, Santa Cruz County has two essential choices. The first
choice is to ignore approaching legalization and let the chips fall
where they may. We, the Boulder Creek Collective, believe that this
will lead to the loss of many hundreds of millions of dollars in
general income to the citizens of Santa Cruz County and cost the
county a unique opportunity to meet all of its social obligations and
desires.

The second choice involves the county and its residents recognizing
the important and entrenched role that cannabis production plays in
Santa Cruz County. For decades, cannabis production has been an
important source of income for many residents in the county. The vast
majority of growers, grow marijuana for a second income. They pay for
braces, car repairs and school supplies with the income. If the county
were to recognize the importance of this income to the community and
take steps to work in partnership with the growers of Santa Cruz
County, amazing things could be achieved. A new, legal industry could
bring vast sums of money to local workers while providing the county
with a large, new tax base -- a tax base that would pay for the parks,
senior care, child care, emergency services, etc,. that we struggle to
pay for now.

In summary, the Boulder Creek Collective would like to invite the
county of Santa Cruz to engage in a dialogue regarding the eventual
legalization of marijuana and the role Santa Cruz County and its
residents would like to play in this process. An amazing opportunity
stands before us all and it is up to us to work together and work hard
to take the fullest advantage of this amazing moment in time.