CHICO DOESN'T NEED HUGE CANNABIS FARM

Having read Sunday's "People on the Street" column, I feel compelled
to remind us that as long as we have so much misinformation, prejudice
and fear, we can never have intelligent debate. Most of us know by now
that the whole "cannabis is evil" myth was born out of a conspiracy
started back in the 1930s. Most of us know by now that the cannabis
plant is in fact a medicine, a wonderful and healthy substitute for
addictive and unhealthy synthetic narcotics. Most of us agree that it
is, in comparison to alcohol, a far safer choice, less disruptive and
less deadly.

We've all heard opponents of cannabis, having no factual support to
talk about, resort to claiming they've watched people ruin their
lives. Sorry, I'm not buying it. We have over 700 patients in our
collective and I've met them all, and not one of them is ruining their
life. This kind of misunderstanding occurs when people who are doing
much harder drugs end up smoking pot to help them come down from their
binges. Association is not causation.

To the question at hand: This proposed mega-grow is a slap in the face
to the whole movement, which is about our right to control what we put
in our bodies. We are happily employing ourselves growing our own, we
are generously paying our taxes, and so we don't really need this mega
whatever trying to usurp control and monopolize the industry.

- -Robert Galia, Chico