Editor,
There are some shifty arguments being made by the pro-Measure KK people that need to be addressed before you all go to vote on Nov. 8.
Measure KK proponents say they are “locals”. They are not locals, in fact much of the donation money funding their deceit comes from San Fernando Valley and Santa Ana dispensary interest groups.
Measure KK proponents say this measure will reduce traffic into our city. This will not happen, especially when Laguna Beach becomes the only city in South Orange County with two dispensaries. If Prop 64 passes, for the recreational use of marijuana, Laguna Beach will also host the only two legal recreational-use dispensaries in South Orange County. A new kind of tourism will show up on our already overcrowded streets – pot tourism.
And what’s with the “safe access” argument? Nothing safe. The marijuana business is an all-cash operation where dispensaries will attract crime, necessitate heavy security, and create an unwanted atmosphere in our little coastal town. Currently, medical marijuana users are able to have deliveries made for their medical marijuana needs.
Measure KK Proponents say the dispensaries will help provide increased revenue for the city. This is not true. There is no tax or added monetary benefit for the city which will supplement the additional amount of police, fire or life-guard duty necessitated by the inevitable results of increased numbers of tourists who will be using their marijuana in our city. Imagine the perilous number of car accidents, medical and water-related emergencies we will see if Laguna Beach is hosting the only two legal marijuana dispensaries in all of South Orange County.
The proponents of Measure KK are in this for their own profit. They wrote the measure to assure they alone would benefit from the specific licensing guidelines and requirements. They are already part of the Santa Ana marijuana dispensary business and this is all cash in their hands at Laguna Beach’s expense.
Manipulating people with real medical needs and cynically pandering to our city’s sense of compassion, all in the interests of profit, warrant our most severe condemnation.
Vote no on Measure KK.
Amy Kramer, Laguna Beach
