Pubdate: Tue, 13 May 2014
Source: Chico Enterprise-Record (CA)
Copyright: 2014 Ronald Angle
Contact:  http://www.chicoer.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/861
Note: Letters from newspaper's circulation area receive publishing priority
Author: Ronald Angle

JUST SAY NO TO MERKEL AND LAX MARIJUANA GROWING LAWS

In a recent letter to the E-R, Andrew Merkel proclaimed that Butte
County residents would be better off with him as our next Second
District county supervisor.

If 'better off' means that I once again have to awake every morning to
the smell of ripening cannabis from residential grows in my
neighborhood, he is wrong. If he means that once again my neighborhood
will be overrun by pit bull dogs used as cheap security guards, he is
wrong.

If he means that once again I have to endure 19 hours of extreme
electro-magnetic interference from illegal grow lights, he is very
wrong.

Let me explain. For 59 years, I have been a federally licensed amateur
radio operator. I have participated in emergency disaster
communications for many of those years. A while back, my
communications capability was completely shut down by grow lights
operating in my neighborhood. This interference is a federal crime
with severe penalties. Unfortunately, we could not identify the exact
source of the noise. The likelihood of these lights being part of a
large indoor pot grow is very strong.

Residential cannabis growing is not a victimless crime. It is not a
benign mom-and-pot business. I have no problem with personal cannabis
use. The Colorado model seems to be working well as a way to allow but
control its production. We need a similar solution in California.

Butte County does not want unrestricted backyard cannabis growing. I
support Wahl on this issue and urge his re-election.

- - Ronald Angle, Chico 
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D