Fresno should allow pot dispensaries

Concerning Fresno City Councilman Garry Bredefeld’s proposal to ban marijuana dispensaries approved under Prop. 64: I’ve been to Oregon and Washington have seen firsthand that legalization is working smoothly and well despite the third-hand, anecdotal fear stories spread by Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims and others.

Since he says he wants to protect kids, maybe he should read the proposition. Then he would discover it was about adults not children, and how anyone raises children should have no relationship to whether other adults choose to use marijuana now legal under state law.

In a town and county this poor, it is ignorant and impractical to turn down tens of millions of tax dollars, collecting taxes on something which is and will be going on despite the backward thinking of Bredefeld.

Other Valley cities are at least waiting to see how it is implemented in other places before making such a decision. Bredefeld’s proposal is premature and stupid. Maybe if he would get a grip on reality, he would realize marijuana is being used all over this city, supplied from the black market, and all his proposal would prevent is the city taking advantage of revenue created by the new law.

This story was originally published March 6, 2017 at 6:37 PM with the headline "Fresno should allow pot dispensaries."