COMMISSIONERS SHOULD BE PROACTIVE ON MARIJUANA ISSUE

I would like to commend Council Chairman Dave Palmer for his efforts
in attempting to pass an emergency medical marijuana moratorium. It
was very disappointing to see that some of his fellow council members
did not see the urgency of this growing issue. I was especially
dissatisfied with Commissioner Mark Moodry's statement, referring to
the moratorium as a "Band-Aid" and "unnecessary." Any proactive
legislation is better than sitting back and allowing the problem to
escalate, and it is your duty as a public official to make decisions
in favor of protecting the community to the best of your ability.

It has been alleged that cardholders and possibly caregivers are
selling the product to youth and other individuals. If this is the
case, then I find Commissioner Mike Sheehy's comment that the county
should "stay out of it" and obey the desires of the electorate,
incredulous. If local youth are gaining access to the drug from card
holders or caregivers, then the system is being abused and should be
placed on hold until the Legislature convenes next year to revisit the
Medical Marijuana Act.

A moratorium will not completely stop youth from gaining access to the
drug, but it is unethical to allow the known abuse to continue. It is
not my intent to argue the right of medical marijuana patients to
receive the drug, rather the numerous flaws in the current system.

This is a growing issue in our community, and one that has been
ignored long enough. I sincerely hope that this issue is visited again
before the next scheduled meeting, Wednesday, Sept. 1, during a
special meeting, as Palmer recently indicated may be a possibility. I
would also like to commend the six commissioners who voted in favor of
the motion, and I strongly encourage you to continue supporting
motions aimed to protect our community.

Ashley Kingston

1864 Georgia Ave.

Butte Newshawk: Herb
Pubdate: Sat, 28 Aug 2010
Source: Montana Standard (Butte, MT)
Copyright: 2010 Ashley Kingston
Contact: editor@mtstandard.com
Website: http://www.mtstandard.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/609
Author: Ashley Kingston

COMMISSIONERS SHOULD BE PROACTIVE ON MARIJUANA ISSUE

I would like to commend Council Chairman Dave Palmer for his efforts
in attempting to pass an emergency medical marijuana moratorium. It
was very disappointing to see that some of his fellow council members
did not see the urgency of this growing issue. I was especially
dissatisfied with Commissioner Mark Moodry's statement, referring to
the moratorium as a "Band-Aid" and "unnecessary." Any proactive
legislation is better than sitting back and allowing the problem to
escalate, and it is your duty as a public official to make decisions
in favor of protecting the community to the best of your ability.

It has been alleged that cardholders and possibly caregivers are
selling the product to youth and other individuals. If this is the
case, then I find Commissioner Mike Sheehy's comment that the county
should "stay out of it" and obey the desires of the electorate,
incredulous. If local youth are gaining access to the drug from card
holders or caregivers, then the system is being abused and should be
placed on hold until the Legislature convenes next year to revisit the
Medical Marijuana Act.

A moratorium will not completely stop youth from gaining access to the
drug, but it is unethical to allow the known abuse to continue. It is
not my intent to argue the right of medical marijuana patients to
receive the drug, rather the numerous flaws in the current system.

This is a growing issue in our community, and one that has been
ignored long enough. I sincerely hope that this issue is visited again
before the next scheduled meeting, Wednesday, Sept. 1, during a
special meeting, as Palmer recently indicated may be a possibility. I
would also like to commend the six commissioners who voted in favor of
the motion, and I strongly encourage you to continue supporting
motions aimed to protect our community.

Ashley Kingston

[address redacted]

Butte