OPINION
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North Kitsap
Page A4
IN OUR OPINION
City Council took a safe route, but not the best one P
oulsbo City Council members have talked out of both sides of their mouths on the issue of cannabis, specifically medical cannabis. Council members have said they support the use of medical cannabis, and that they’ve known people who benefitted or could have benefitted from it. Yet on June 11, they banned collective gardens where residents could grow cannabis for medical use in accordance with ESSB 5073, approved by the Legislature in 2011. In 2013, state voters approved I-502, which legalized the recreational use of marijuana bought from state-licensed retailers. Recreational businesses could also be established to produce and process the product. Such businesses would sell marijuana for recreational use, while collective gardens would continue to offer medical marijuana (which, incidentally, is taken in various forms, and not for a “high” but for its analgesic, anti-inflammatory and potentially curative effects). Poulsbo voters approved I-502 by a margin of 52-48 percent. Yet on June 11, the City Council banned all marijuana businesses and collective gardens from operating in the city. Council member Connie Lord worried, “What kind of message are we sending our kids,” if the city allowed the businesses to set up shop in Poulsbo. Yet, the council initially put out the unwelcome mat for recreational entrepreneurs by establishing a small retail zone near Snider Park, home of Poulsbo Little League. Lord referred to marijuana as a gateway drug that could lead to more problems in the city. Her comment ignores two facts: One, just because the city banned recreational marijuana businesses from operating in the city doesn’t mean marijuana won’t be smoked recreationally in Poulsbo; users will just buy it elsewhere in the county. Two, alcohol abuse is a bigger problem. Between 2001 and 2012, in every year except for two, alcohol-related offenses outpaced drug law violations in Kitsap County. Council member Ed Stern made some sense when he said recreational marijuana was a sort of unfunded mandate; the state has not established a process for sharing tax revenue from recreational marijuana sales with local governments. But Mayor Becky Erickson declined to join other Washington mayors in signing a letter asking the Legislature to establish a tax-revenue sharing plan. (State HB 2144, which would have established the distribution of a specified percentage of marijuana excise tax revenues to local jurisdictions, was approved by the House Committee on Government Accountability & Oversight in February but stalled thereafter.) Council members played it safe on this issue, but what they showed is a lack of political courage. The courageous route would have been to honor the will of voters and establish a zone for recreational marijuana retailers — and not near neighborhoods and Little League fields. The council should at least zone for collective gardens, since council members have led residents to believe they are on the side of those who depend on medical cannabis. And the council should lobby the Legislature for a share of tax revenue. North Kitsap Herald Community Advisory Board Catherine Ahl, Poulsbo n Art Ellison, Hansville n April Leigh, Suquamish Tribe n Dan Martin, Kingston n Melanie Mohler, Suquamish n Fred Nelson, Hansville n Ginger Shields, Poulsbo n Ginger Vaughan, Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe n Jennifer Wiegand, Poulsbo n
NorthKitsapHerald.com
Friday, June 20, 2014 | North Kitsap Herald
Letters Some alternatives to the war mentality Some of us might remember that right after the Cold War ended with the dissolution of the USSR, there were thoughts about our country, economy and citizenry benefiting from a reduction in the huge financial burden of paying for that Cold War. It was called the Peace Dividend. Well, as we all can see clearly since then, the Pentagon, the intelligence agencies under its wings, and now the gigantic NSA spying system, have developed psy ops that not only successfully oppose the reduction of these militarizing budgets, they have very cleverly designed back-brain influencing ways to manipulate the fears of our citizenry so that these huge enterprises can expand their already bloated budgets. But we do not have to accept this for the Kingston 4th of July fireworks expenditures, which match the percentages of our bloated Pentagon budgets — aka more than 50 percent of total tax or donations spending are spent into “fireworks,” per se. Someday, the dots will become connected and what will then be understood is that the Pentagon has swapped the meaning of the Fourth of July celebration of breaking away from the Crown, and is now actively using the holiday for major recruitment into militarism. If you have doubts about this, consider the gray ship tonnage and the Blue Angels that are scheduled to perform around the Puget Sound to make that sale. And if that still doesn’t resonate with you, just look what is driven up to Mike Wallace Park over the holiday — the Pentagon’s mobile recruitment trailers and personnel. This includes little toy militarized cars so that 4-, 5- and 6-year-olds can get used to militarism, and drag racers to appeal to the testosterone out there. Now, that’s some clever psy op stuff! How about this for a few ideas in Kingston as we wind down the wars and restore living peacefully in this country — and also a way to reorient the spending on the 4th of July shock-and-awe fireworks
sent into the skies over Apple Tree Cove. How about we hire a local acting company to re-enact the Boston Tea Party, substituting Apple Tree Cove and the marina’s docks for those in Boston Harbor? This will bring more truth to our own history and context to our youth regarding why our nation started. How about we schedule some music that has some meaning regarding war, peace, environmentalism and justice? Don’t forget music for dancing, gatherings, joy and fun. Kids should play guitars and sing in lieu of playing toy soldier and singing war chants. How about we support the local skateboard scene by having a competition called Skateboarding for Peace, and offer some neat prizes? How about we hire the local tribes to offer Native dances, celebrations, pow-wows and spokenword gatherings to retell their important stories about their environmentally respectful histories and forms of government? How about Canoes/Longboats for Peace, Sailing for Peace, Coed Softball for Peace, Equestrians for Peace, Kites for Peace, Beer Gardens for Peace — even you for peace? Why does this country have to stand for warring, economic injustice, corporatism, and anti-environmentalism? Why can’t we spend most of our time doing the exact opposite? Robin Hordon Kingston
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Appreciates Bjarnson and Kingston Thriftway Being an independent smallbusiness owner in any unincorporated area or small town is a huge business undertaking. We, the residents of Kingston, have been privileged to have Thriftway/IGA and Rick Bjarnson play a sizable supporting role in most community fundraisers. My family has had first-hand experience in working with Rick and the 4th of July’s Tiny Town Event. For the first 15 years we were involved, the Kingston Thriftway donated and supported the Tiny Town board in its efforts to put on a first-class children’s fair. The big box stores and corporate-owned retail outlets enjoy competing intensely with local stores. I have been told of the grocery consolidation in the western United States. A chain store in our local market has 13 linked stores in operation. A small business like our local grocer has taken a high risk to serve us for all these years. Steve, the store manager at Kingston IGA, and his crew have the store looking sharp, clean, neatly stocked with fresh produce, and milk and perishables, providing fast, friendly, courteous checkout and customer assistance. The Kingston store with its excellent staff provided “ship’s stores” for our commercial fishing boats that harvest in the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea. The proviSee LETTERS, Page A5
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